Big God
by Sukiya62
Summary: Kagome makes her way home after a late-night shift at the hospital and runs into an injured youkai in an alleyway. /Sometimes I think it's gettin' better, and then it gets much worse. Is it just part of the process? Well, Jesus Christ, it hurts./ {KouKag} Yakuza AU, Mutual Pining
1. Chapter 1

Hey y'all. Here I am... with another new fic... influenced by Florence once more... (Florence Welsh owns my soul) Hope you enjoy!

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Kagome exited the hospital, several events from the day haunting her. She had deep, heavy bags under her eyes. She stood outside of the entrance of the hospital for a few moments, looking up at the sky. The moon was large and beautiful, almost full. The miko wished she could appreciate the beauty of the night sky right now… she was too sullen and dead inside. Her mind was ringing with the sounds of that mother's sobs, the sight of the blood on her hands and the ringing of the heart monitor flatlining. She had done everything she could.. but… Tears welled in Kagome's eyes and she did her best to blink them away. She needed to get home before she could let her emotions take over.

Letting out a sigh, Kagome ran a hand over her face and made her way down the sidewalk. Her apartment wasn't too far away, she just had to go down a couple streets, though she could take two alleyways to make it quicker. She might take that option, now that she thought about it. She wanted to get home quickly so she could grieve in peace, thank the gods she didn't have another shift tomorrow. The sky began to darken then, causing her to look up. Clouds were beginning to roll in, and with a quick check of the weather app on her phone, it was due to rain soon. "Aw, shit." she grumbled. She had forgotten it was scheduled to rain tonight… she hadn't brought an umbrella with her. Well.. she supposed it was good she was already planning on taking the shorter route home.

The miko soon came across the alleyway she was looking for and quickly entered. This one was relatively short and led into a narrow side street. She kept a fast pace, not wanting to get caught in the rain that was to come, and eager to have some alone time where she could wallow. She walked along the side street for a while before turning into the last alleyway before she'd reach the street she lived on. This alley was quite a bit longer, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been somewhat scared going down it the first couple times at night. But nothing had ever happened, and it wasn't a shady area or anything as far as she knew, so she quickly got used to it and wasn't scared anymore.

As she turned the corner and started to enter the alleyway, she saw a figure sitting down and resting against a wall. She paused, a hint of fear trying to claw its way into her heart. She swallowed it down, steeling herself. It was probably just a drunk. She kept this in mind as she started her trek down the alley. She kept her eyes on the figure, not wanting to take her eyes off them. She didn't have much energy to work with, meaning she was limited on how much of her reiki she could wield in case this person was a threat. However, she reflexively flexed her right hand, just in case…

But as she drew closer, she realized that something was wrong. The light illuminating onto the figure revealed that this man was injured. He was curling in on himself and she could see the blood. Her heart started pounding as she broke out into a sprint, quickly approaching the man. At her hastened approach, the man turned his head to look at her, glaring. She heard a snarl come from him and only faltered for a moment before continuing her approach.

"Hey hey hey, it's alright. I'm a doctor." she said, holding her hands out in front of her, showing that she was no threat to him. As she came up next to him, she dropped to her knees beside him, not feeling the pain from said action as she was now in Go Mode™. It was then that she felt the aura of youki surrounding him, which made sense as to why he had snarled. She kept this information in mind as she coaxed the youkai to let her examine his injuries.

He looked her over skeptically, his icy blue eyes looking her up and down. As he tried to gauge whether or not to trust her, she took the time to look over what she could. The youkai had long black hair that was tied up into a ponytail, a disheveled one at that. He had some bruises on his face, one of his cheeks swollen. He was likely in a fist fight of some sort. Her eyes shifted down his body, noting that there were blood splatters near the collar of his shirt. As her eyes trailed further down, they widened at the sight of such a large blood stain near his abdomen. She couldn't see the injury itself, as he had his hand covering it. Was it a stab wound? A gunshot wound? Either way.. she didn't have any of her tools and this was an unsanitary environment. Her hand itched for her phone.

She pulled it out, unlocking it and getting ready to dial as she spoke. "Look, I think I'm going to have to call an ambulance or something. I know you're a youkai and all but that's a _lot_ of blood and-" She had only managed to type in the first 1, having had trouble with thumbprint recognition when it was snatched out of her hand. Her eyebrows furrowed together in a mix of confusion and anger. "Hey! What the-"

"You're not callin' anybody." he snarled.

"Well I can't just _leave you here_ to bleed out and _die!_" she snapped.

He laughed at that, but winced soon after, pressing tighter onto his wound. "I'm a youkai, lady. I'll be fine."

Kagome set her jaw, anger lighting a fire in her. "I don't care if you're a youkai or not. My job is to help people, and I don't care what you say, but this is _bad_!"

"Well I ain't goin' to a damn hospital." he snapped.

She rolled her eyes at that. "_Fine_, whatever. Just.. come on. I've got things laying around my apartment, I guess. Just.. let's hurry." she grumbled.

With that, Kagome got up and started to pull the youkai up as well. Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind, the youkai grumbled, handed her phone back, and helped her out the best he could. She told him to keep the pressure on his wound and he grumbled a bit under his breath, doing as she said. They then carried on their way out of the alley, keeping a slow pace so as not to jostle the youkai's wound too much. It took them a while to reach Kagome's apartment, the rain starting to come down in a drizzle as they approached the building. The trip up the stairs was…. a _thing_, and it took forever.

They eventually arrived at her door and she pulled out her keys and unlocked it. The two then shuffled inside and took their shoes off at the entrance. She helped him lean against the wall momentarily as she turned to close and lock the door. The youkai hissed in pain, wanting to remove his hand from the wound, but knowing it would be a bad idea to piss off the doctor taking care of him. With the door now locked, Kagome turned back to the youkai and led him into the living area. She sat him down on the floor, leaning him back against the wall before taking off.

Kagome rushed around the small apartment, gathering up all the items she could find that she knew she'd need. She then ran back into the living area, throwing everything down onto the table. She spread out several towels onto the floor and then started to organize her things on the table nearby. Once everything was all set up, she approached the youkai once again and helped him over to the small setup she had.

"I'm going to have to take off your shirt and jacket, okay? Does the shirt have any sentimental value to you or can I...?" Kagome mimicked a cutting motion with scissors using her hand.

The youkai rolled his eyes. "Snip away, I guess." he grumbled.

Kagome nodded and helped him slip off the leather jacket he had on, tossing it to the side. She would likely need to clean it; she wasn't sure if there was blood on it or not... With the jacket off, Kagome reached for the scissors on the table and snipped off his white T-shirt. She was shocked at what lay beneath. Tattoos. Intricately detailed tattoos depicting wolves, the moon, and lilies decorated the youkai's arms and part of his chest. _Oh god __**dammit. **__I swear to __**GOD **__if this is what I think it is..._ Kagome did her best to erase this train of thought, quickly focusing her attention to the wound on the right side of the youkai's lower abdomen. She gave a quick warning to the youkai before moving his hand away to look at it.

As soon as the hand was removed, blood began to ooze out and she frowned. It looked to be like a deep stab wound, just as she had thought. She moved his hand back and got up to walk into the kitchen, washing her hands. "So, what happened? I need to know so I can give you the proper treatment." she said, scrubbing up to her elbows. She didn't have a brush to scrub properly, nor time to do the full 10 minutes, but she figured this would do. If he got an infection, she'd take him to the hospital, whether he liked it or not.

The youkai watched her thoughtfully. He still wasn't sure if he could trust her, but she hadn't done anything to hurt him. She was a miko too, a powerful one at that, so it would be easy for her to just purify him and get it over with. He let out a sigh and directed his gaze at the ceiling. "Let's just say I got into a fight with some people and one of them pulled out a knife." he said.

Kagome sighed and dried off her hands and arms with a couple of paper towels. Well, she would have to work with that, she supposed. "Did you see what kind of knife it was?" she asked, approaching the youkai once more, putting on some disposable gloves as she did so.

"No."

_Of course not._ She frowned and reached for one of the cloths she had laid out on the table. She grabbed a bottle of saline solution and poured some of it onto the cloth. The youkai was watching her every move, and honestly she couldn't blame him. "This is probably going to hurt, but I need to clean the wound." she said. He nodded and that's when she had him remove his hand. She took the bottle of the saline solution and poured some of it into the wound. The youkai below her hissed in pain, but she ignored it. She then reached with her cloth and began to clean the outside of the wound.

As she cleaned it, she frowned at seeing how deep it went. It was definitely a longer blade on the knife. Once it was as clean as it was gonna get, she put the cloth on top of the wound and pressed down on it, using one hand to rummage through her things on the table. "So.. what's your name?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her question. "Kouga.."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kouga. I'm Kagome and I'll-" she caught herself before she autopiloted into her usual speech when greeting a patient for the first time. She let out a sigh, giving her head a slight shake. "Sorry, I autopiloted there for a moment." That caused a chuckle to escape from Kouga. She smiled a bit and finally found the needle and thread she had been looking for. She got Kouga to apply pressure to his wound as she threaded the needle. "I apologize for not having anything to dull the pain for you… will you be able to handle it?" she asked.

He laughed at that, but winced shortly after. "Please, I think if I can handle getting stabbed then I can handle some stitches." he said, a wicked grin on his face.

Kagome chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Alright Mr. Tough Guy. You'd be surprised, though." she teased. Once she was ready, she removed his hand and the cloth and began to stitch him up. True to his word, he seemed to be handling it pretty well, almost as if he didn't really mind it. It surprised her a little.

"You don't have to answer.. but I'm curious." She paused, focusing on her stitching for a moment before asking her question. "Are you part of the yakuza?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

He was silent for several moments. "Yes." Kagome nodded, a slight frown on her face. He eyed her curiously. "Would you have still helped me if you had known from the beginning?" he asked.

"Yes." she replied without a single moment of hesitation. Kouga was surprised at her quick answer, eyebrows raised and eyes wide. "It's my job to help people. I don't really care who you are, no one deserves to suffer." She paused for a moment there. "Well… I mean.. there are _some_ people that deserve to suffer I suppose, but you're not one of them." she said, giving him a small smile. He looked up at her, still in shock. She had gone back to focusing on her stitch work, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. He felt something stirring in him, but he didn't really know what it was.

Before too long, she had finished stitching up his wound and had taped down multiple pieces of gauze, the first layer being soaked in more of the saline solution. One she was done, she got up to take her gloves off and wash her hands, getting rid of the blood. "You're welcome to stay. In fact, I insist that you do so I can keep an eye on your wound. If it gets bad though, you better believe I'm taking you to the hospital." she called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." he replied. Kouga was still laying down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure if he should move or not, waiting for her instructions on the matter. Once Kagome was done washing her hands, she entered the living area once more and helped Kouga off the floor and moved him to the couch.

"It's not much, but I can get you some blankets and pillows if you'd like." she offered. He nodded, and Kagome was gone again. He took this time to glance around her apartment. It was relatively small, though he supposed that was due to it being a one bedroom. One thing that confused him was how barren it was. Sure, there was furniture, but there was practically no personality anywhere. There were no plants, no pictures.. nothing. It was… sterile. Maybe her bedroom was more decorated.. or at least he hoped. How could anyone live in a space with no character?

The miko returned before too long, carrying several pillows and a dark blue blanket. She then proceeded to help prop him up with the pillows and once she was done with that, she placed the blanket over him. "Now, I'll probably be checking on you every few hours or so, mostly to see how the stitches are holding and if your wound needs redressing. I'll try my best not to wake you up, but I can't make any promises." she said with a small chuckle.

"Sounds good, doc." Kouga replied, smirking up at her. Kagome rolled her eyes, wished him a good night, then left the room. As soon as Kagome was in her room, she let out a sigh and leaned back against the door. Her exhaustion, along with the guilt and depression, hit her full force now that she was in the privacy of her room. She could feel tears welling in her eyes as her mind brought her back to earlier in the day. It felt like her heart was being squeezed and she brought a hand up to her chest to try and soothe the pain. Before she was too far gone, however, she pulled out her phone and set a timer to go off in 2 hours. She had a new patient to take care of, and she needed to stay on top of things.


	2. Chapter 2

Whaaaaaat? This didn't take 90 million years? Who am I?

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Kagome was somewhat surprised with how well behaved Kouga was. Every time she had checked up on him in the night, he had woken up, but he was always calm. She was used to patients being at least a _little_ bit grumbly, not that she blamed them; they needed rest to recover and the constant interruptions from both her and the nurses in the hospital were probably annoying. It was now 12:30 in the afternoon and she was looking Kouga over once more. She was shocked to see how quickly his wound was healing, though she really shouldn't be, he _was_ a youkai after all… For a human, a wound like that would need to keep the stitches in for at least a week and a half. For Kouga though, he could probably get them taken out two days from now.

"Well, you certainly weren't kidding about your healing abilities." she said, putting new dressings on his wound.

"I told ya I'd be fine." he replied.

"Nevertheless, it's my job. And I'm sure it wouldn't be healing this well if it weren't for me." she said, shooting him a sly grin.

"Oh please, I've had worse than this and healed just fine without a doctor."

Kagome rolled her eyes and decided to drop it. She finished off the dressings by taping down the gauze and then pulled away to stand and stretch a little. "I'll feed you some lunch and then you can be on your way. Come back in two days and I'll check out your wound and remove the stitches if it's ready." she said.

He nodded and then settled back into the couch, pulling the blanket back over himself. She smiled softly to herself and turned to go into the kitchen. She knew that youkai didn't need to sleep as much as humans, adding the fact he was part of the yakuza on top of that, she had a feeling he didn't sleep much anyway. This was probably some much needed rest he was getting. Sucks that he had to get stabbed in order for him to get it though.

She let out a small sigh and went over to her fridge and opened it. She frowned at seeing how barren it was inside. She forgot for a moment that it's been a while since she's gotten groceries…. There had been no point, as today was her first day off in about two weeks. They usually didn't run their doctors this ragged, but she was the only miko on staff available. Kikyo was off on her honeymoon and Kaede just started her residency. There weren't many mikos going into medicine anymore for this exact reason; they were overworked. She closed the door with a frustrated huff and rubbed her eyes. Kagome stood there for a couple moments, head in her hands, unmoving.

"You alright in there?" Kouga's voice brought her back to reality and her head snapped up. She turned around and saw he was looking at her, a hint of concern in his face.

"Yeah. I just… don't have any groceries. I'll go get some. Stay put, alright? If you're not here when I get back, then I'll be calling.. _someone_." She tried to tease, she really did, but she was tired and frustrated, and it carried into her voice there at the end. Kouga frowned and watched her as she gathered her things. He could smell her frustration, the scent of burning wood slowly covering up her natural scent of wildflowers and spring rain. He felt this urge to help her, or comfort her somehow, but he couldn't move.. and even if he did, he wasn't sure how he would go about doing such a thing in the first place. So, he just laid there and watched as she left the living area and made her way to the entrance. He listened as she slipped on her shoes, opened and closed the door, locked it, and she was gone.

He let out a sigh and settled into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He knew he gave her shit for helping him, but he knew deep down that she was right; he wouldn't be healing this well if it weren't for her, even with the coming moon. Though he had to laugh at how surprised she was when she saw how well he was healing after she stitched him up. If it weren't for the stitches, it probably would've taken him close to a week to recover. But now, it seems like he'd be healed in time for the full moon.

His eyelids grew heavier then, and he let out a yawn. Maybe he could do with some more rest… it had been a while since he slept like this. Sure, he was woken up at 2-hour intervals, but it was some much needed rest nonetheless. With that, he adjusted himself accordingly, getting all comfortable before slowly drifting off to sleep.

**-BG-**

Kouga was woken up harshly by the sound of pounding on the front door. Once his brain finally registered that someone was trying to break in, it was too late, as he heard the door burst open and come off its hinges. He prepared to get up and attack the intruder, when he heard them call out.

"Boss! We tracked your scent, we're here to help!"

Kouga brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes. "Ginta, Hakkaku, get your asses in here." he snarled.

His two betas rounded the corner, looking a bit sheepish and confused. "What's wrong boss? We're here to save you.." Ginta whispered.

"Yeah, we all got worried when you didn't come home last night. We found the blood in the alley and followed your scent here." Hakkaku added.

"Well, the problem here is-" a shriek cut Kouga off and caught all three wolves off guard. Next thing they knew, there was a flash of pink and Ginta and Hakkaku were on the floor across the room. Kouga opened his eyes and saw Kagome, groceries in one hand and the other stretched out, pink lights sparking from her fingertips. "Kagome!" She didn't respond. While she had a stern look on her face, he could see the panic in her eyes.

Ginta and Hakkaku got up off the floor, but before they could fully recover, Kagome snapped her fingers, more pink sparks flying off her fingertips at the action, and suddenly there were pink beads around their wrists. _Subjugation beads?_

"_Sit_." Her voice was stern, smooth, _even_, no trace of fear in its depths. Ginta and Hakkaku were pulled back to the floor, landing on their asses, faces scrunched up in pain as the beads made of pure reiki burned into their wrists. It wasn't enough to purify them, but it was enough to hurt and do what Kagome needed them to do. "What are you doing in my house?"

Ginta grunted and opened his eyes, glaring at her. "What are you doing with our boss?" he fired back. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Kagome, let them go. They're with me." She turned to look at him, and his betas followed suit, all three looking at him in a mix of shock and confusion. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Kagome found me in the alley and patched me up. That's Ginta and Hakkaku, my two betas."

Realization dawned on Kagome's features and she flushed in embarrassment. She quickly dispelled the beads and set the groceries down nearby. "I-I'm so sorry! Here, if you're hurt too bad I can help.." she said, a frown on her face.

She approached them cautiously, like wounded animals, and it made Kouga smile. Ginta and Hakkaku just stared at her, eyes wide in shock. "N-No we're fine.." Hakkaku said. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, but nodded and backed away.

"Well... I was going to make food before releasing Kouga.. but I don't know if I have enough for all of us.." she mumbled, looking back at the groceries she had.

"That's alright, we don't need any food." Hakkaku said, giving her a meek smile.

"O-oh.. okay. Umm.. well..."

"We're sorry about the door. We'll go fix it for you!" It was Ginta this time.

"Oh! Um, thank you." She smiles warmly at them then and they beamed back at her. The two wolves then scrambled to get up and get to work. Kouga chuckled.

Kagome walked back over to the groceries and picked them up. She then made her way over to the kitchen and started pulling ingredients out. He watched her from his spot on the couch, a too wide smile still on his face. She moved about the kitchen slowly, methodically. She pulled down the things she needed and started heating up a small wok. The sound of her chopping vegetables was smooth, rhythmic, and a stark contrast to the sounds he could hear coming from the entrance of the apartment. Ginta and Hakkaku were grunting as they moved the door back to its proper spot. He had no idea how they were going to reattach it, but they better find a way, or else.

He returned his full attention back to Kagome. He felt this.. _pull_ towards her, and he couldn't place what it was. It was a bit frustrating in all honesty. He didn't like not knowing things, especially when his beast was so agitated. He was usually in tune with the beast, but it seems that whatever had it in a tizzy was lost on him. It wasn't sharing with him, for whatever reason. He did his best to shrug it off, content to watch the miko move about the small kitchen.

She seemed at ease in the kitchen, working methodically and almost unthinkingly. It was effortless. Before too long, she was adding her ingredients to the wok and a wonderfully delicious smell filled the small apartment. As he watched her work, he figured out what she was making; yakisoba. He hadn't had any in a long while, and he was eager to taste her cooking. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. She soon finished cooking and pulled down a couple bowls. He watched her divide the yakisoba between the two bowls and grab two pairs of chopsticks. Kagome then picked up the bowls and made her way over to the couch. She set one bowl down on the table and handed the other to Kouga.

"I know it's probably not the healthiest, but it's better than what they would offer you in the hospital." she said with a giggle.

Kouga simply reached for the bowl, stars in his eyes. A smile crept its way onto his face and he chuckled along with her. "I don't really care if it's healthy or not. I'm sure it's delicious."

She sat down on the floor near him, laughing. "I can't guarantee anything. I haven't cooked in a while thanks to all my shifts at the hospital."

"I don't think you have to worry. Anyone who moves as effortlessly as you do in the kitchen is always going to be a great cook, no matter how long they've gone without making food."

Kagome looked up at him, quirking an eyebrow and trying to contain her smile. She was failing. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to hit on me."

Is that what he was doing? He hadn't even realized... Before he could really think about it, his mouth opened on its own accord and spoke for him. "Maybe I am." He had to resist a growl. Damned wolf... is _this _what it was keeping from him?

Kagome blushed slightly but played it off the best she could. "Why? So you don't have to pay your bill?"

"You're charging me?"

She simply shrugged and Kouga couldn't help but chuckle. He brought some of the yakisoba up to his mouth and ate his first bite of it. He was correct; it was delicious. They ate their food in relative silence, listening as Hakkaku and Ginta struggled with the door. Kagome started to giggle again, and he eyed her curiously.

"Your payment is fixing my door." she said, a humorous grin on her face.

He returned her smile with a smirk. "I can do ya one better." She raised an eyebrow at this and he leaned forward slightly, being mindful of his stitches. "I owe ya a favor."

Kagome's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and Kouga leaned back and continued to eat as he waited for his meaning to sink in. It took her a couple seconds, and then her eyes widened. The yakuza would owe her a favor.

"Th-the door is enough, really. Promise."

"Nah... you saved my life. That's worth more than a door."

Her lips thinned into a tight line. She really didn't know what to say. She could try to continue to argue, but she knew it was pointless. It seemed like he had made up his mind, and she had a feeling that there would be no changing it, no matter what she did or said. But maybe... "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise?" she asked, some semblance of hope in her voice.

He pretended to think on it for a moment before looking at her with a lopsided grin. "Nope. I owe ya one, Kagome."

She frowned, but there was a blush on her face. She turned away then to eat more of her food. He chuckled and ate his food as well. It wasn't long before they were both finished and Ginta and Hakkaku were done with the door. Kagome was standing in the kitchen, washing the dishes that were used as the two betas made their way back into the living area.

They glanced over at their alpha, who was watching the miko intently. Ginta grinned and jabbed Hakkaku in the ribs, who did his best not to growl at the action. Ginta turned to his friend with a wicked grin on his face and Hakkaku snorted, breaking Kouga's gaze and causing the alpha to glare at them. They both quickly looked away, staring at the walls, ceiling, and floor; anywhere except Kouga's face. They couldn't help but stare. Whether Kouga realized it or not, he was watching the miko like a lovesick pup; it had been a long time since they'd seen their alpha like this. It was nice to see him happy...

Kagome soon stepped out of the kitchen and approached the trio, stopping just in front of them and placing her hands on her hips. "Alright. You're free to go. Just make sure to keep the wound clean, change the dressing if it starts to bleed through, and come back in two days and I'll check on your stitches." Somewhere in the back of her mind, she still couldn't believe she was recommending two days for stitch removal. Youkai never failed to amaze her.

Kouga grinned at her. "Will do. And thanks again. I owe ya."

Kagome's face flushed and she looked away. Gods... "Yeah yeah, alright. Get out of here. And try not to break my door this time." she said, looking over at Ginta and Hakkaku. They looked away from her, guilty, but she had a smile on her face and did her best to conceal her laughter.

The two betas helped Kouga off the couch and made their way to the door. Just as they were about to leave, Kagome stopped them. "Hold on just a moment." She then scurried off and the three were left somewhat confused. It wasn't long before she came back, a shirt and Kouga's leather jacket in her arms. He had forgotten he wasn't wearing a shirt...

"Oh, uh, thanks."

It took some maneuvering, a couple of bumps from elbows, but soon the alpha was dressed and ready to leave once more. With that, the door to her apartment was open and the three youkai were leaving. She waved and watched them go. Once they were out of her sight, she closed and locked the door.

She then proceeded to _lose her __**fucking**__ shit._

Her hands shot up into her hair, knotting and tangling the black wavy locks as she slammed her back against the door. "Gods.. the fucking yakuza.. in _my_ fucking house..." Even as the words left her lips, they didn't sound real. It just... She couldn't wrap her mind around it. Not only had she found a beaten-up member of the yakuza in some back alley on her way home from work, but she brought him _into her home_ and patched him up like she would any other patient.

And now they owed her a favor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch Summary:** In which Kagome and Kouga are horny on main

**Notes:** So uh... things got a bit out of hand this chapter, lol

* * *

Ginta and Hakkaku had teased Kouga _relentlessly_ as soon as they had walked out of view of the apartment complex the miko was staying in. The alpha did his best to deny their allegations, but that just furthered their teasings. Eventually, he just decided to ignore them. The betas stopped after throwing out a couple more comments, a little disappointed, but not surprised, that Kouga had simply started to ignore them.

They walked in silence for a few moments, slowly and carefully making their way to the compound. "So Kouga... what happened?" Ginta asked, breaking the silence between them.

He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was careless. It was some guys from a rival group, I'm not sure which one... but they were harassing this kid and I had to step in. The sleazy assholes pulled a knife on me." Ginta and Hakkaku winced. "Cowards couldn't even finish the job. They're probably low in the ranks, if not at the bottom. They were weak and if not for the knife, I probably would've won and ripped their heads off." he finished with a shrug.

"Do you know who they belonged to?" Hakkaku asked.

Kouga shook his head. "Nah, no clue. Not like it matters, they'll mess up one day and it'll cost them greatly."

The two betas nodded in agreement at that. From there, their walk home was spent in relative silence. It wasn't long before they arrived at the compound, and once it was made known Kouga was back, the entire pack jumped on him. They surrounded him immediately, asking him all kinds of questions and trying to figure out if he was hurt or not. A snarl ripped through Kouga's chest, and they all stopped and backed away from him.

"_Jesus_, give me a minute, alright? I can't hear you if you all talk at once." he snapped. Several members of the pack shuffled nervously as they waited for their alpha to cool down and give them the go ahead. Or for him to explain what happened to him and why he didn't come home. Kouga let out a huff and ran a hand over his face. He then took the time to explain what happened to his pack, hoping he wouldn't get a million questions afterwards.

Once he was done explaining, he looked around, hands on his hips. "Any follow-up questions?" he asked. There was a long pause before a hand shot up. He grumbled. "Yes, Kamelia?"

"Sir, when do we get to meet the miko who saved you?"

Kouga grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jesus fucking..." His head snapped up then and he glared at Kamelia. "Why would you need to meet her?"

"Because she saved your life, sir! We all owe her our lives!" She paused for a moment, her eyes slowly shifting to meet his. Once they locked eyes, a smirk worked its way onto her face. A devious look was in her eyes and Kouga wasn't sure how to feel about it, or address it. "Besides, I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of her regardless."

Kouga's glare hardened and grew even colder, somehow. This didn't phase Kamelia though, in fact, her shit-eating grin only doubled in size at the sign of Kouga's resistance/denial. After a few moments, Kouga sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I fucking give up, whatever." he grumbled. "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep." And with that, he walked off, not missing a few snickers scattered throughout the pack. He rolled his eyes and decided to ignore it for now. He walked into the main building on the compound and made his way to his room.

The compound was once a palace owned by a feudal lord. However, Kouga's pack had taken it over, usurping the young lord and killing and eating all the staff. They had traveled closer to civilization once their original territory in the mountains became unsafe and uninhabitable. Their arch rivals at the time, the Birds of Paradise, had grown in ranks and they were losing pack members every day. It was difficult leaving their homeland, but it worked out. As for eating humans... they stopped that a long while ago. It was harder, darker times back in the feudal era. You did what you had to do, and for his pack, the end justified any means.

Kouga wanted to return home to the mountains at some point in time, but he just wasn't sure when, or if they even could. It's possible that their original territory was now overrun with humans. It saddened him, but such was life. He let out a sigh and opened the door to his room, sliding it closed behind him. He walked over to his bed and promptly collapsed onto it.

He was exhausted; it had been a long day and he hadn't gotten good rest last night. Not to say he didn't appreciate Kagome's help and care, it was just that it caused him to tease his body with what sleep felt like, and now that's all it wanted from him. He hadn't had proper sleep in what felt like centuries. With a huff, he curled up in bed, being mindful of his wounds as he pulled the covers up and settled into the fur covered bed. It wasn't long before he passed out.

**-BG-**

It had been two days, and Kagome was sad that her small break was going to come to an end. She laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, unwilling to move out of the warmth and softness it provided. Kikyo should be coming back from her honeymoon in a couple days, so that would help with her stress and workload.

She sighed and slowly rolled out of bed. She grabbed a pair of leggings she had lying on the floor and pulled them on before walking out of her room. She yawned and stretched as she walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge and looking at what she had. Since she had three consecutive days off, she was able to actually stock her fridge. She didn't buy too much, not sure when she'd be home again and not wanting to waste food.

She hummed and rocked on her feet, tapping a finger against her lips as she contemplated her options, of which there weren't many. She eventually made up her mind, settling on making herself some omurice. She pulled out what she needed and set to work. Thankfully she had some leftover rice, and was able to use that for the fried rice.

It didn't take her too long to make, and once she was done, she plated it and walked over to the couch, plopping down and turning on the TV. She brought her legs up, tucking them under herself and relaxing into the couch. She had the TV set to a show she had been trying to keep up with. Thankfully over this small break she had, she'd been able to catch back up.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but a knock on the door had pulled her attention away. She paused the episode and set her food down on the coffee table, frowning as she stood up. _Who could that be?_ she asked herself. She knew it wasn't Sango, as she was busy with work, and the only other person who would drop by unannounced was Inuyasha, and he was with Kikyo on their honeymoon. So that didn't really leave her with any clues as to who this could be.

Kagome approached the door with caution, ready to take action in case it was an intruder. When she opened the door, her eyes widened as they met baby blue.

Kouga greeted Kagome with a lopsided grin. "Hey doc. Here to get my stitches removed."

She had completely forgotten...

It had all felt like some strange fever dream, so could anyone really _blame_ her for forgetting the yakuza now owed her a life debt?

_The yakuza owed her a life debt..._

She felt like she could vomit. However, she forced it back and gave him a meek smile. "Hey. Umm... come right on in." She opened the door and had to fight back her embarrassment. She was dressed in a grey tank top and black leggings; not really something one would wear when expecting company... or really what you'd expect a doctor to wear.

Kouga stepped into the apartment, taking his shoes off carefully and trying to figure out what that fruity scent surrounding the miko was. He tried to rid himself of his current train of thought. Why did it matter to him what emotion she was currently feeling? It didn't matter. He was going to pay his life debt and then they would never see each other again. That was that. His wolf seemed to think otherwise, growling at him and _pushing _him to talk to her, stay with her, get to know her. Kouga ignored it.

He stepped into the living area and glanced over at the TV. "Whatcha watching?"

Kagome has just rounded the corner and looked at where he gestured. "Oh, uh.. it's this show called Midnight Diner. It's pretty good." she said with a soft smile. She then started to explain the basic gist of the show while she got everything set up. She blushed as she realized she had been talking for quite a bit longer than she meant to, and she sat down the last of her items a bit sheepishly. "Sorry. I just.. it makes me happy and it's a good, nice show to watch after a long... _trying_ day.." she said.

He simply smiled at her and waved off her concern. "It's alright, nothin' wrong with you being interested and invested in something."

She smiled warmly at him and he felt something twinge in his chest. His smile widened.

"Alright, let's get this done so you can get on your way."

Kouga chuckled. "Think you're getting rid of me? I still owe you, you know?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Still trying to get out of paying your bill, I see." she said, a smirk on her face as she moved closer to the wolf.

"I thought I wasn't getting billed?"

She shrugged as she plopped down on the couch next to him. "I'm still thinking about it. Now, take your shirt off so I can see your wound."

He looked at her then and she didn't like the glint in his eyes, or the fact his mouth was opening to speak. "Don't you dare say anything. I can make taking them out more painful than necessary." Kouga's mouth snapped shut and Kagome nodded. _Good._

Kouga then removed his jacket and Kagome was, once again, caught off guard by the tattoos on display. He started to remove his shirt and she did her best not to ogle. She was just.. appreciating the art. His tattoos. Not his body. Nope. Definitely _not_.. looking.. at his pecs. His sweet, _juicy_ tits. Just the art _on_ them. Yep. Totally. Definitely.

It took her a couple seconds to realize he had finished undressing, and when she did, she blushed something fierce and tried to clear her mind. _Get it together Kagome!_ Kouga tried to control the rumble of laughter that was building in his chest. Kagome then started to take a look at his wound. She was amazed at how good it was healing.

"How did it heal so fast?" she mumbled, ghosting her finger over the seam of her sutures.

"You wanna know?"

Her blush darkened. She didn't realize she had said it out loud, or that he had been able to hear her. Of course he had, he's a wolf youkai. "Yeah, if you don't mind telling me."

"Our powers get stronger with the moon. It's a full moon tonight, and when I got stabbed it was a waxing gibbous. We wax and wane with the moon. Of course, even with new moons we're still strong, just not at our peak." He replied with a shrug.

Kagome nodded, trying to tuck this information away. It would certainly help her with any wolf youkai patients she gets in the future. "Interesting... Thank you." She smiled at him and then turned away, reaching for the items she had placed on the table. Kouga's heart was left hammering in his chest.

She gathered up what she needed and then turned back to him, quirking an eyebrow at the expression on his face. He played it off with a lopsided grin, which stained her cheeks pink.

"Alright.. just lean back and relax. You'll probably feel a tug, but it won't hurt." she said, giving him a warm smile. He nodded and leaned back against the back of the couch. Kagome then slipped off the couch, onto the floor, and set to work.

It was a slow process, and Kouga watched her intensely. He hoped to learn how to remove stitches so if he ever needed them again in the future, which he was sure he would, he'd know how to remove them himself. It could also benefit his pack as well. _She_ could benefit their pack. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the wolf. It was just _persistent _today.

He watched as she pulled each knot up with the tweezers and then carefully snipped at the thread below the knot. It felt weird when she pulled the thread out. He was mesmerized by how easily she maneuvered. It was graceful, elegant, _effortless_; like she didn't even have to really think about it. She just.. _did it_. It was quite amazing to him. Despite the process being slow and methodical, it didn't take her very long to finish the job. He hadn't needed many stitches, so there were only a couple sutures she needed to cut and remove. It was over relatively quickly. Once she was done, she set everything back down on the table, on top of a paper towel, and sat back up onto the couch.

She did her best to not glance at his chest, trying to focus strictly on his too blue eyes. _Gods_ they were blue. Who gave him the right to be this attractive? She took in a deep breath, calming herself before giving him a smile. "Well, you're all done here." she said.

"Thanks, doc." he said, grinning at her. He then reached for his shirt, and while a part of her was sad to see his succulent tits get covered up once more, the majority of her was grateful. Now she didn't have to worry about ogling him and embarrassing herself. He left his jacket off, however, so it gave her a chance to look over his arms. They were quite muscular, and she had this urge to reach out and squeeze his bicep.

"Hey Kagome?" She looked up at his eyes then, embarrassed to have been caught staring again. She had seen and dealt with plenty of attractive people at work, yet none of them had compelled her to stare as much as Kouga had. She wasn't sure how to feel about that...

"Yes, Kouga?" she asked.

"Would it be alright if I stayed here for a bit?"

She let out a short, nervous laugh. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Just wanna hang out a bit. Get to know you. Maybe I can figure out how to pay this favor I owe you." He answered with a smirk.

Kagome rolled her eyes, but a smile worked its way onto her face. "Alright, I guess. As long as you don't mind watching this show with me." She then got up off the couch and started to clean off the table. She tossed the paper towel that had the sutures in it and set the tweezers and scissors by the sink. She could wash those later.

Kouga watched her as she moved around the small apartment, his eyes tracing her thighs and hips. Her leggings were the athletic kind, so the spandex clung to every contour of her thighs, ass, and hips, showing off how thick they were. Her thighs were probably soft and plush, maybe a bit of muscle tone hidden underneath. Her hips were wide and the way they swayed had him lick his lips. _Large and good for pups.._ He did his best to block the wolf from his mind.

He somehow managed to stop ogling her rear by the time she turned back around and started to walk towards him once more. She bent down to pick up the discarded omurice from earlier and plopped back down next to him. She was on the opposite side of him now, closer to the TV.

"None for me?" he asked teasingly.

"Nope, you came too late. Kitchen is closed." she replied, reaching for the remote and pressing the play button. He snickered and leaned back into the couch, turning his attention to the TV now that it was on.

Kagome smiled to herself and brought a spoonful of omurice to her mouth. She frowned as she chewed it. It was cold, lukewarm at best. It _had _been sitting there for a little bit.. Thankfully there wasn't much left over, so maybe she could power through it. She _could_ get up and go to the microwave, but she wasn't sure she wanted to get up. She had felt Kouga's eyes on her as she was cleaning up and it had sent a chill up her spine. Maybe she had put on a little bit of a show for him, adding a bit of an extra swing in her hips. _Maybe_.

She wasn't sure if she could handle it a second time or not.

So, she sat there and finished off her food, powering through it. When she was done, she set it down on the table in front of them and leaned back into the couch, pulling her legs up and tucking them underneath herself.

They sat there quietly, not saying anything, just enjoying the show. Kouga had his arm stretched across the back of the couch, and Kagome had to continuously tell herself to not lean her head back. She didn't want to cause his arm any discomfort, and she also didn't want to feed into whatever it was they were doing. She didn't know if his flirting meant anything or if that's just who he was. Not that she minded; it had been a while since anyone had flirted with her. Though to be fair, she's been holed up in the emergency room for several months, dedicating herself specifically to her work. Sure, some of her patients flirted with her, but it was nowhere _near_ the level Kouga was on.

Sure, the words he said weren't really all that different from what she's used to hearing, it's just the _intensity_ of his stare. His eyes were so blue and so intense, she hardly knew what to do with herself. Whenever he looked at her, she could _feel _it, and it always gave her chills. There was something old and primal in his eyes whenever she looked into them, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. All she knew was that look didn't help matters.

Kouga's eyes slowly drifted down, looking at her. Something new was spiking in her scent, something spicy and intoxicating; something that set his wolf on edge and made it even more pushy. He roamed his eyes over her form, drinking her in, and the scent spiked again. He almost didn't catch the small shudder that went through her. _Almost. _A smirk curled his lips and he forced down a chuckle.

The episode was soon over, and it seemed to be the last one of the season, as the Netflix ending screen recommended her another series. Kagome let out a small sigh and went back to the home screen. It took her a couple seconds to work up the nerve to turn around and face Kouga. She took in a deep breath and finally, _finally_, turned around to face him. The look in his eyes caused her cheeks to flush, and the lopsided grin he wore didn't help matters. _Why? Why is he like this? Who gave him the __**right?**_ She asked herself, once again.

"Kagome.."

Her blush darkened at the deep rumble of his voice. "Yes?"

"I'm going to have to get going soon but.. can I get your number?"

Her heart nearly stopped. She played off her nervousness with a small laugh and a playful grin. "And why would you need that?"

"Oh, I dunno... so I can talk to you? And I guess try to repay my debt."

She rolled her eyes, but her heart was hammering in her chest. "Well... I _guess_ I can give you my number. It'll be easier to give you your bill that way." she replied with a wink.

His grin widened. "Still trying to charge me, huh?"

"I gotta eat somehow."

"I could just bring you food and feed you myself."

She stared at him for a couple seconds, her blush darkening, the heat in her body building. His gaze was so intense... Is this how deer feel before a wolf chases them down? She blinked and let out a small snicker, trying her best to play things off. "I'd like to see you try." She began to get up, ready to grab her phone out of her room.

"Is that a challenge?"

She tapped a finger to her lips, drawing Kouga's eyes to them. They were nice and pink, plump, full, _kissable_. "Maybe it is." Then she spun on her heel and sauntered over to her room, putting an extra sway in her step.

Kouga's eyes were easily and instantly drawn to her ass, watching as her hips swayed with each step. A lump formed in his throat and he licked his lips. When she disappeared into her room, he brought a hand up to his face, covering his mouth and fighting the blush that threatened to stain his cheeks. His wolf was preening, it was also pushing him to make a move; claim her, mark her, _mate_ her. Kouga nearly snarled, internally telling the beast to shut its mouth.

Kagome soon stepped out of her room, and Kouga quickly schooled his features, leaning back against the couch casually, a lazy grin on his face. She eyed him for a moment and Kouga _loved_ the way her eyes roamed over him. It was just a couple seconds, but it felt like a lifetime.

She smiled and walked towards him, quickly reaching the couch and sitting down next to him once more. She had her phone in her hand this time and he watched as she unlocked it. He only caught a quick flash of her lock screen, so he didn't really see what it was. Her home screen was a cute patterned graphic of Shiba Inus and radishes. She swiped to the left and then tapped on the icon for her contacts. It opened up and she pressed on a button and the pop up for creating a new contact appeared.

She then handed it over, a wide grin on her face. "Don't try and take it from me this time. As you can clearly see, I'm not trying to call the hospital or the cops."

He chuckled, taking the phone and starting to type in his information. "I'll believe you, _this_ time." he replied, shooting her a wink. He absolutely _adored_ the shade of pink her cheeks turned. He was quick to put in his information, and when he was done, he handed the phone back to her and proceeded to pull out his own. She took it back from him, setting the device on the table and waiting for him to hand her his phone. When he did, she quickly put in her information as well.

When she was done, she handed the device back to him and he slipped it into his pocket. They sat there for a couple seconds, quietly, staring at each other. Kagome was the first to look away, turning her head to try and hide her blush. Kouga chuckled and rose from his spot on the couch.

"I'll see ya around, Kagome." he said.

She turned to look at him and a smile slowly crept onto her face. "Hopefully you won't be on death's door next time." she teased.

"Hey, I'll have you know I wasn't close to death."

"Yeah, thanks to me."

He laughed again, shaking his head a bit. "You're lucky you're cute." Before she could respond, or even fully process what he had said, he was rounding the corner and gone from her sight. She heard the door unlock, open, and close all within a few seconds and she knew he was gone. Oh Gods.. what was she going to do?

**-BG-**

It was late in the night, and Kagome couldn't get to sleep. Blue eyes, strong muscles, and juicy, succulent tits refused to leave her mind. She threw her covers off, leaving her exposed to the fan and AC. She let out a breath, heavy and hot. _Shit..._

She brought a hand up to her stomach, which was partially exposed due to her shirt riding up. She then slipped her hand up under the fabric and slid it up to cup her breast. She let out a ragged breath as she brushed her thumb over her nipple, causing it to perk up. She then began to pinch and twist the nub, imagining larger, rougher hands were performing said action.

While her one hand teased her nipple, the other slid down her abdomen, ghosting over her pussy and sliding along the inside of her thigh. She dug her nails into the supple flesh, raking her nails down harsher and harder than she normally would. But she needed the sharpness, needed the sting of pain, _needed_ the feeling of claws dragging along her sensitive skin.

She teased herself for a while, her breath getting heavier and hotter. After a while, she brought her hand back up towards her abdomen and then slipped it underneath her panties. She brushed her thumb over her clit, her breath hitching at the action. She rubbed it slowly, gently, wishing her hands were larger and rougher, wishing they were someone else's, wishing they were _his_.

Her movements stilled for a moment as her cheeks flushed. Was she really doing this? Was she really going to lay here and rub one out at the thought of someone she barely knew? A short-term patient? _A member of the yakuza?_ That deep, primal look he kept flashing her with his too blue eyes crossed her mind and she continued her actions. Yes.. yes she was.

The sound of her moans slowly filled the small space of her bedroom. They began to increase in volume and pitch as she intensified her actions. She slipped a finger inside herself and she gasped. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered what his dick looked like and how it would feel going inside her instead of her slender fingers.

She bit her lip, trying to keep herself quiet as she fueled the fantasy she had playing out in her mind. His deep, husky voice in her ear, whispering dirty, _filthy_ words. His hands roaming her body, touching her, _teasing_ her. His fangs grazing her ear, her neck, her throat. Pressure built in her abdomen and her breaths became rapid and shallow as she neared her peak.

She soon pulled her fingers completely out and focused on her clit. Her pinches on her nipple grew harder and harsher. Her toes began to curl to the point it was almost painful. And finally, as she imagined his fangs piercing her neck, she peaked with a cry. Her body convulsed and she slowly pulled her hands away as she waited for her trembling to slow.

Kagome laid there, panting and still slightly shaking, staring up at her ceiling fan spinning on high speed. She ran a hand through her bangs, the one _not_ covered in her juices, and let out a heavy sigh. She was screwed...


	4. Chapter 4

Sup?

It may be spring break... but I'm busier than ever, lol

* * *

Kagome let out a groan as her alarm started blaring at her. She whined, keeping her face buried in her pillow as her hand reached for her phone. She put it on snooze and grumbled into her pillow. She didn't want to go to work...

It was 5 am and she was really _not_ feeling up for anything. She wasn't human yet. However, as her alarm started blaring at her once again, she grumbled and turned it off, slowly getting into a sitting position. She ran her hands over her face, rubbing into her eyes, and then brushed her bangs out of her face. She would need to get them trimmed soon...

She yawned and threw her blankets off of herself and stepped out of bed. A chill ran up her spine as her bare feet hit the cold hardwood floors. She quickly made her way to her bathroom, her arms crossed over her chest. Once she was in, she turned on the light, closed the door, and started the water for her shower. She usually bathed at night.. but after her... _activity_ last night, she felt it would be best to wash up before she went in.

She pulled her shirt over her head and peeled off her underwear and stepped towards the tub. She ran her hand under the water. Satisfied with the heat, she pulled back the curtain more, allowing herself room to step in, then closed it and started to wash up.

She would've loved to have stayed under the warm water for at least 30 minutes, but she had a job she needed to get to. So, she was quick to bathe and dry off. She hung up her towel and walked out of the bathroom and to her room. She closed the door behind herself and started looking around for clothes. She didn't have many options, all she really had to do was decide what color scrubs she wanted to wear today, really.

She decided on maroon for the day and once she was dressed, she reached for her phone. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she saw she had a message from Kouga.. from 10 minutes ago. She unlocked her phone and read what he sent her.

**[ Good morning, doc. Sleep well? ]**

She quirked an eyebrow and tapped out a quick reply.

[ Morning. I slept alright... what are you doing up? ]

She slipped her phone into her pocket and made her way back to the bathroom. She pulled her hair up into a bun and then set to brushing her teeth. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She spat out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth out. She then pulled the device out of her pocket and read the message he sent her.

**[ I'm a youkai, I don't sleep ]**

Her brain tried to put this in a _way_ different context than what she was sure he intended. She blushed fiercely at her own dirty thoughts and did her best to push last night far out of her mind.

[ But how did you know I'd be up to get your message? ]

**[ Lucky guess ]**

She chuckled at how quick he had answered her. She went to reply, but he sent another message.

**[ And hope **(^_-) **]**

The blush staining her cheeks darkened, but she rolled her eyes, trying to play it off.

[ Well, I hope you know I might not be able to talk much. It gets really busy at a hospital ]

She put her phone back in her pocket and gathered her things. She then made her way to the door, slipping on her shoes, and left her apartment. She put her keys in her purse, then adjusted the strap as she made her way down the stairs and out into the street. Her phone vibrated again and she pulled it out as she entered the alleyway. The same one she had found him in.

**[ That's fine, as long as we get to talk at least a little ]**

Kagome felt her heart stutter in her chest. _Gods_... she _really_ couldn't handle this right now... She bit her lip and considered her reply. It took her a bit longer than she'd like to admit... but her head was muddied.

[ Well, it's definitely going to be a little. But I can try to talk to you in between saving lives all day ^_− ]

**[ That's all I could hope for **(^з^)- ** ]**

She locked her phone and put it back in her pocket. No no no no no _no no no __**no!**_ She could _not_ start her day like this.. all... _blushy_ and distracted. Her head was _not _in a good place for work right now.. She needed to calm down..

She sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out before going into the ER. She made her way to her station and clocked in and put her things away. She then grabbed her coat, putting it on, along with hanging a stethoscope around her neck. She picked up her pager, attaching it to her waistband, and stepped out into the fray.

**-BG-**

Kagome plopped down into the chair in the cafeteria, holding her head in her hands for a moment. It had been about 4 hours and she finally had a break long enough to sit down and eat. She had three days off and was immediately thrown into a 12-hour shift. She was going to die. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out. It was Kouga. Right, she had never replied to him this morning.

**[ Hey, how are you holding up in there? ]**

She smiled and tapped out a quick reply.

[ I'm.. something, haha. It's crazy. I'm just now sitting down to eat ]

She set her phone down on the table next to her and opened up her salad. She poured the dressing on and then mixed it. Her phone vibrated again.

**[ Oh wow.. Well, milk it for all you can... by talking to me ]**

She snorted and shoved a bite of her salad into her mouth.

[ And what's so great about you that I should spend my very short break talking to you? ]

**[ Where should I start? ]**

She shook her head, chuckling to herself.

[ I dunno, you tell me ]

**[ Alright, I will ]**

**[ For one, I'm pretty funny ]**

[ Oh really now? ]

**[ Definitely. And I've been told I'm highly attractive ]**

[ By who? Yourself? ]

**[ By you, yesterday ]**

Her cheeks flared and she had to set her phone down for a moment. She didn't know _why_ she thought that maybe, _maybe_ he hadn't noticed her ogling him. Of _course_ he had, he was a youkai, and she wasn't very good at hiding her ogling yesterday... She took a sip of her water and picked her phone back up to reply.

[ I don't believe I said anything remotely like that ]

**[ You didn't have to ]**

[ Oh really now? ]

**[ Yeah, your staring told me everything I need to know ]**

Alright.. two could play at this game..

[ And what about you, huh? If I recall correctly, I'm pretty sure you were staring at me too ]

**[ I couldn't help myself. Can you really blame me though? ]**

She stilled for a moment, trying her best to will her cheeks to cool and not melt off her face.

[ And why's that? ]

**[ Have you never looked in a mirror? ]**

This was it, this is how she would die. _Gods..._

[ What's your point? ]

**[ You're also highly attractive ]**

[ You're not even trying to hide your flirting now, are you? ]

**[ And you are? ]**

_Was _she being obvious? She knew her staring had been but...

She stuck her tongue in her cheek. She didn't have to put up with this. She wasn't... She didn't have the time for all this! She furiously typed out a message to him.

[ Aren't you supposed to be causing trouble somewhere? ]

Ah yes, _avoidance_. The best card she had in her hand.

**[ Nah, we did enough of that last night ]**

[ Oh? ]

**[ Yeah, it was a full moon last night. That's when the wolves come out. I thought you knew ** 〜（ゝ。∂）**]**

She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore any innuendo her brain tried to tell her was hidden in the message.

[ I didn't know youkai followed the rules of werewolf legends, let alone a group of delinquent youkai ]

**[ Where do you think those legends came from? ]**

**[ And even delinquents follow some rules ]**

[ Guess I never thought of that ]

Before she could get a reply back, her pager started going off. Kagome let out a sigh and locked her phone, slipping it back into her pocket. Thankfully she had managed to finish her salad while she had been texting. She got up from her seat and tossed the container in the recycling bin and set back to work.

**-BG-**

Kagome let out a sigh as she stepped out of the hospital. She ended up staying back an extra 2 ½ hours after her shift was supposed to be over. She had gotten a last-minute patient that needed immediate surgery, surgery that required her skills. There were a lot of complications, not to mention she had Kaede shadowing her so she could see firsthand how using reiki in the field worked. Sure, they learned a lot of stuff in hypotheticals and ran drills, but it was _nothing_ like practicing these skills in a real-life situation with real life stakes at hand.

The miko ran a hand through her bangs, momentarily lifting them from her face before letting them flop back down. It was around 8:30 and so the sun was set and the moon was working its way up into the sky. She couldn't see it as of right now, as it was hiding behind the buildings. Not that it really mattered; there was enough light for her to see and feel safe.

She started her walk home, pulling her phone out of her pocket and unlocking it, finding it opened to her messages with Kouga. Right...

**[ Too busy thinking about me to consider others? ]**

She snorted.

[ Someone's confident, aren't they? I'll have you know, I was able to do a lot of work today without thinking of you once ]

It was a lie and she knew it, but _he_ didn't have to know that.

**[ Ouch... Not only are you late to reply, but you hurt me on top of it? Not cool, Kags. I thought you were all about saving lives, not damaging them ]**

She quirked an eyebrow at the nickname.

[ I hadn't realized we were close enough to give each other nicknames ]

**[ I thought we were with how you were staring at me ]**

She blushed and pulled her lip in between her teeth, gnawing on it for a couple seconds.

[ So what are you up to? ]

She knew she could only get so far with dodging the subject, but she would milk it while she could.

**[ Nothing too much. How about you? Still at work? ]**

She let out a small breath of relief. At least he was letting her change the subject, she had to give him points for that.

[ Nah, just got off. You wouldn't BELIEVE the day I've had ]

**[ Well, tell me about it ]**

She really didn't know what to do or say... but it seemed like her fingers did, as she began to type up a storm. She, of course, left out the names of her patients and certain details, as there was Patient/Doctor confidentiality, but she went off about her day, giving the youkai what details she could. She ended up breaking her rant into five messages, the fifth one being quite a bit shorter than the rest. Her rant had really made time cut down though, as when she looked up she was face to face with her complex. She let out a sigh, grateful to be home, and started making her way up the steps. Her phone vibrated in her hand.

**[ Oh wow.. that does sound really hectic ]**

[ Yeah.. it really was.. (◞‸◟) ]

Kagome was about to put her phone in her pocket so she could grab her keys for her door, but stopped short. There was a basket in front of her door, a basket full of food. A _**large**_ basket of food... She stepped closer, cautious. Crouching down, she inspected it more closely. It was full of fruits: mandarins, apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. As she looked further, she found a small card that was tucked behind an apple. She pulled it out, looking at the small scrap of paper and holding it closer to the light so she could read it.

_-From Kouga_

Her eyebrows furrowed together and she stood back up. She backed away slightly, just enough to be able to snap a good picture of the basket. Before the wolf had the chance to reply to her previous message, she sent him the photo and asked:

[ What's this? ]

There was a bit of a pause before he replied

**[ It's food ]**

[ I can see that, but why is it here? In front of my door? With your name on it? ]

**[ I told you I could bring you food ]**

She... _What?_

[ I thought you were joking ]

**[ I thought you were challenging me ]**

Kagome was honestly, wholly and truly, at a loss for words. She had been joking but... had he _really _been serious about feeding her? She stood there, mouth slightly agape as she tried to process the situation at hand.

Her experience with youkai was limited; she knew how to heal them with reiki without purifying them, she knew how to take them down if necessary, and customs-wise... she really only knew about inus, and even _that_ was severely limited. Was this... something wolf youkai did? She would need to ask Sango...

Her phone vibrated in her hand.

**[ Are you going to take it? ]**

Her head instinctively whipped around, trying to see if she could spot him, if he was here or not. She would've pulsed her reiki out, but she was tired, and she didn't have much to work with... She didn't see him.. Of course she didn't, he wasn't here... She let out a huff and replied.

[ Yeah, thank you. You didn't have to though... ]

**[ Well I beg to differ. I have to prove myself somehow ]**

[ Yeah, alright ]

She rolled her eyes, shoving her phone in her pocket, unlocking the door, and picking up the basket and stepping inside. She closed the door behind her, using her foot, and then toed off her shoes. She carried the basket further into the apartment, setting it on the counter before going back to the door and locking it. With that done, she walked back into the living area and pulled her phone back out of her pocket.

**[ So what do you think of it? ]**

[ It's really nice. Why so big though? ]

**[ I told you I would feed you ]**

[ Again, I thought you were joking ]

**[ Again, I thought you were challenging me ]**

She rolled her eyes, going over to the couch and plopping down on it.

[ Well, it's night now. Shouldn't you be going out and wreaking havoc? ]

**[ I'd rather talk to you ]**

Her cheeks burned fiercely.

[ Well, I won't be up for much longer. I've got another shift tomorrow and I need to get some form of sleep in ]

**[ Well in that case, I won't keep you. Need you to get your beauty sleep, even though you're already quite beautiful ]**

[ Don't get stabbed again ]

**[ I won't ]**

**[ Unless that's the only way I'll get to see you ]**

[ Goodnight ]

**[ Goodnight, Kagome ]**

She held her phone tightly in her hand, trying hard to squash her ever growing feelings. She couldn't do this... not right now... She was too busy. She was a doctor. He was in the yakuza... There was _no __**way**_ this could ever work...

_But maybe it could..._

She shook her head, furiously. No no no no _no no __**no! **_She was _not _doing this! She was... This was... His blue eyes flashed in her mind, along with his muscles and his fangs and claws and she felt this _heat_ pool in her abdomen, causing her to squeeze her legs together. She was so _**fucking**_ screwed...


	5. Moonstruck

It's not an April Fool's joke, it's a legit update, lol. Sorry it's so short. I haven't been able to break 3k and I feel so bad ;0;

* * *

Kouga had been quite useless around the compound as of late. Ever since Kagome accepted his gift, he had been doing whatever he could to continue to please her. For the past four days he had been gathering an assortment of food items and leaving them at her door. Each time she was confused. Each time she messaged him about it. Each time she accepted it. Each time he fell for her a little harder. No, not a little.. a _lot_. She was on his mind _constantly_, and the pack was _relentless_.

They pestered him on the regular; asking when he was bringing her, what she was like, et cetera. He was getting sick of it, not to mention the constant teasing of how he was acting like a pup. He would yell about how he was their alpha and they should respect and treat him as such, but they all knew, including himself, that he was too lovestruck to do anything.

His wolf was preening, happy with the fact that Kouga was going for the miko and starting the courting process. Whether she realized this or not, he wasn't sure. It was probably something he should discuss with her... but they barely had time to talk as it is, what with her working and all. Speaking of which...

[ How are things going? ]

It had been a couple hours since her last text, so he figured that she was busy with work. From what he gathered, she worked in the ER, so he had a feeling she was almost constantly busy, especially with being a miko. He knew how important they were back in the feudal era, especially with hunting down youkai, and he gathered that their importance never really went away, at least in the medical field. There weren't many youkai hunters these days, thank the gods for that.

He slipped his phone into his pocket as he waited for her to answer, turning his attention back to the task at hand: grocery shopping. He had been here for a couple minutes, trying to think of what to do for Kagome's basket tonight. He had left a cooked item a couple nights ago and it had taken her completely by surprise. He kind of wanted to do it again.

Kouga absolutely _loved_ surprising Kagome and seeing her reactions to his baskets. It made his heart skip a beat seeing how pleased she was with them; his wolf was constantly preening. It's pushing had ceased, for the most part. He was content, happy, _moonstruck_, as some of the others said. While he fought them on it, he knew deep down that he was, in fact, moonstruck. It was an old term, but it rang true.

He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his thoughts so he could focus on the task at hand. The miko was always finding some way to distract him these days... He walked through the aisles, trying to think of something that sparked interested. He needed to impress her after all. As he walked towards the meats and was beginning to form an idea, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He couldn't stop the grin that broke out on his face.

**[ They're certainly going... Just got on break. How are you? ]**

[ I'm alright. Working you hard I guess? ]

**[ Like you wouldn't believe... But Kikyo is back so I'm able to breathe a bit easier ]**

[ That's good, don't need you burning yourself out ]

**[ Yeah, I guess that's true ]**

He had to put his phone away for a moment to regain his focus. Groceries. He needed to buy groceries. With a huff, he picked up a package of thinly sliced ribeye, placing it in the basket he had on his arm. He tried to think of what they had at the compound, so he wouldn't buy anything he didn't need to. He was sure they had eggs and soy sauce.. but he wasn't sure if they had onions or not... He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. _Kagome..._ He scrambled to get his phone as quickly as possible.

**[ Do you mind if I go on a bit of a rant? ]**

He snickered a bit.

[ I could listen to you talk forever ]

He knew it was cheesy, but he could just _see_ the blush he knew was staining her cheeks right now, and it filled him with pride. He put his phone back in his pocket, knowing it was going to take her a while to send her rant in. He picked up the remaining items he needed, along with some pain killers and a heating pad. He was sure it would help her with her back problems she had been mentioning lately.

By the time he was in the checkout line, his phone was going crazy in his pocket. She probably divided the message up into multiples. He paid for his items as quickly as he could and then left the store, pulling his phone out of his pocket and reading her rant. He frowned slightly as he read it; she certainly _was_ stressed and being worked to the bone. She, of course, didn't go into extreme detail, but it was still obvious. His worry for her increased.

[ Another eventful day so far, I see ]

**[ Yeah, you're telling me ]**

[ Well, maybe I can help with that ]

**[ I don't see how ]**

She was challenging him again. Well, she was going to regret that. A wicked grin curled his lips as he typed out a reply.

[ You're not challenging me again, are you? Because I thought you learned that I'll follow through ]

There was a bit of a pause before she replied, and he knew deep down that she was flustered again.

**[ Maybe I haven't learned my lesson yet ]**

A chuckle rumbled through his chest. She was getting bolder and bolder every day, and he _loved_ it. He wanted to try and find a way to ask her out on a date, but he didn't want to do it over the phone.. In person was a much better option, but she was so busy.. he wasn't sure how he would pull it off.

[ Guess I'm going to have to keep teaching you then, aren't I? ]

**[ Maybe so ]**

They continued to flirt as he walked down the street until she got called back into work. She sent him a quick send off, and then he was forced to wait for her next text. He let out a sigh and returned his attention to the path back home.

His wolf was pacing once again. It was pushing him to go visit her. He couldn't really argue with the beast on this one.. He missed her. Sure, he didn't know her that well, but he was getting to know her. He was learning a lot about her, and the more he did, the more he cared and the harder he fell. Maybe when he dropped off this basket he could stick around, wait for her. He might be rushing it, but he wanted to make bigger, bolder moves. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair, pull her close and kiss her until they were breathless. He wanted to drag his fangs down her neck, her _throat,_ trail his hands along her body, dig his claws - he bit into his lower lip and tried to stop this train of thought.

He quickened his pace, wanting to get to the compound and distract himself with cooking. He couldn't be having these thoughts, not right now at least... maybe later, when he was alone. In his room.

He soon made it onto the compound, walking through the gates and walking up to one of the houses. He passed a couple packmates, who smiled warmly at him, a couple snickering once they passed his line of vision. Kouga snarled, and while it stopped their laughter, he could smell the growing humor and amusement. It pissed him off, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Kouga walked into a house and made a beeline for the kitchen. He set his groceries down on the counter and started setting up. He had a couple hours before he would need to deliver his basket, but he needed to get the rice started now, since it had to soak for at least 30 minutes. He then spent the remainder of his time cooking and trying to keep the more inappropriate thoughts about Kagome out of his mind. It was a bit difficult, what with his wolf all riled up, but he managed. A couple packmates came in to see what their alpha was cooking, a few teasing him. He just rolled his eyes and carried on his way.

His timing was near flawless, having finished the gyudon just a couple minutes early. It gave him an extra few minutes to work on his presentation and arrangement of the basket. Once it was all done, he covered it with a cloth and then started to make his way to Kagome's apartment. It was now dusk, and the sun was continuing to sink lower and lower below the horizon. He knew she'd be getting off soon, or at least he _hoped_ she would... As he walked, he pulled out his phone and sent her a text.

[ You off of work yet? ]

He was about to slip it into his pocket when it vibrated in his hand, surprising him.

**[ You have perfect timing. Just clocked out and now I'm getting all my stuff ]**

[ Well, aren't I lucky? ]

**[ Appears so ]**

He'd have to hurry up his trip a bit, it seems. He needed to beat her to the apartment, and coming from the compound.. it was a bit of a trek. He wasn't expecting her to get off this early, and while he was happy for her, he didn't want to ruin this new routine they had started. His phone vibrated in his hand.

**[ So, what are you up to? ]**

[ Oh, you know. The usual ]

**[ And just what would that be? ]**

[ Causing trouble, as you like to put it (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ ]

**[ Oh really now? ]**

[ Yep ]

**[ What kind of trouble? ]**

[ Oh, well I can't tell you that, now can I? ]

He was getting closer to her apartment now, in fact he could see it not too far off. He had taken a lot of shortcuts to try and beat her here and it seems like it had worked out. He picked up his pace a bit more.

**[ And why not? ]**

[ Don't want you getting in trouble ]

**[ Aren't I already? ]**

He quirked an eyebrow at that, taking the steps to the complex two at a time.

[ What do you mean? ]

There was a bit of a pause and it gave him time to approach her door and set the basket down beside it. He took a step back, checking the placement of the basket when his phone vibrated again.

**[ I'm talking to you, aren't I? **(*^-°)v** ]**

He chuckled. She had a point there, didn't she?

[ Yeah, I can see your point there. Does that mean you wanna stop talking to me? ]

Her reply was instant.

**[ Never ]**

He felt his chest swell and his heart stutter. He was going to stay. He was going to see her tonight, this decided it. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide his big, dopey grin. _Moonstruck._ That he certainly was... He was a useless, lovesick pup right now, but he couldn't find any reason to care. He was about to type out a reply to her when his phone vibrated in his hand, a small pop up at the top of the screen signaling that Ginta had texted him. He couldn't help but grumble slightly. Begrudgingly, he went to see what his beta had sent him.

**[ We got trouble on the west end ]**

Shit... Looks like he wasn't going to see his woman tonight after all..

[ On my way ]

His jaw set as a bad mood suddenly took over him. Not only was he not going to see his woman, but now he had to deal with a skirmish. But he had to be there, to protect his territory, and in turn, his woman. He let out a huff and tried to push the anger down in order to reply to Kagome properly.

[ Well, I'm glad to hear. I don't know what I'd do if you just stopped talking to me ]

With that, he slipped his phone into his pocket and made his way to the west end. Ginta soon sent him the exact location, though Kouga had already guessed where the issue was. They've been having a bit of trouble on that side of their territory for a while now, and he was getting sick of it. He thought they would've learned by now that it was a bad idea to mess with him and his pack. And now.. _now_ they were delaying his courtship. He wasn't going to stand for this. Maybe this time he could _make _the lesson sink in.

His wolf was snarling, less than pleased to be ripped away from meeting with their potential mate. It craved blood, wanting to sink its fangs into their enemies and make them pay for their interference. While Kouga sympathized with the beast, he knew he would have to reign in the bloodlust. He couldn't make _too_ big of a scene, though a part of him desperately wanted to.

Kouga was about halfway to his destination, having made quick work of the trek by running as quickly as he could, when he vaguely felt his phone vibrate. He wasn't 100% sure, but after slowing down to a brisk jog, he pulled his phone out to confirm that, yes, Kagome had sent him a message.

**[ Did you seriously cook me dinner? ]**

He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he looked at the picture attached. It looked like she had already brought the basket in, as it was resting on her counter in the top corner of the picture, the main focus of the image being the gyudon.

[ I told ya I'd feed ya, didn't I? ]

There was a bit of a pause before her next text, and he could just imagine how flustered she was.

**[ Yes you did, but I never would've expected this. Cookies are one thing, but an entire meal? ]**

[ What can I say? I aim to impress and please (´ゝз・`)ﾉ⌒ ]

**[ How is it still warm? Are you still here? I didn't see you.. ]**

He paused for a moment, trying to decide how to answer. Should he be honest or try to deflect the question?

[ Would you like me to stick around? ]

There was a bit of a pause, long enough for him to be almost at his destination. He could hear a bit of a scuffle, and while he knew he needed to help his pack, he _needed_ to see her answer first.

**[ Yes ]**

His heart was thudding loudly in his chest, pumping hard and he wasn't sure if it was from the adrenaline of the upcoming fight he was going to be in or from her answer. Most likely a mix of both.

[ Then I'll be there next time ]

With that, he tucked his phone into his pocket and rounded the corner. A snarl ripped through his chest, his gears instantly shifting and changing direction as his claws extended and he joined the fray.


	6. Chapter 6

Yo. What's up, how are ya?

* * *

Kouga had needed a couple days to nurse his wounds. He continued to leave baskets for Kagome, but he didn't stay. He couldn't, not with how beat up he was; he didn't want to cause her any unnecessary worry/stress with her already stress-filled life. One could argue that if he felt that way he shouldn't be courting her, but that was _different_.

His wounds weren't necessarily _bad_, they were just numerous. In the past, the skirmishes they had on their borders were always random, without any warning and just started with the heat of the moment. _This one_ though, this one was planned, _calculated_. He wanted time to try and piece together this puzzle he was now faced with.

The youkai they fought off weren't low in the ranks of whatever family they came from. Of course, they weren't super high up either, but they were high enough to cause significant damage and smart enough to execute a plan. This was different than what they were used to dealing with.. he would need to talk to the head of the family when he had the chance. Activity has been increasing as of late and Kouga was never good about keeping up with current events. He only stayed up to date if they concerned him, which was honestly a habit he needed to break out of if he was going to take over in the future.

He went back to focusing on the task at hand: cooking. He was going to ask Kagome out tonight and he wanted to make her another home-cooked meal. He had gone back to giving her groceries and other things for her baskets while he recovered. But, he felt the need to step it back up, especially since he planned on taking her out. He hoped that she would get a day off soon.. hopefully tomorrow. However, he would wait as long as he needed to to see her again, as long as he got to do it.

He let out a sigh, physically shaking his head side to side to try and refocus his attention. His eyebrows furrowed together as he went back to mixing the ground beef with the other ingredients.

He wanted to make her a nice, hardy meal. From what he gathered from their conversations on her break, she always ate something light, mostly salads. While salads were good, he knew she needed more substantial things if she was going to keep working like she was. He realized she didn't have a choice in how much she worked, but she _did_ have a choice in how she ate and treated herself. On that front, there were _multiple_ things he didn't agree with, and he knew that she knew better, seeing as she was a doctor. But he guessed that's what he was here for, to help her out in any way he could, especially in this period of their relationship. He needed to prove himself to be a suitable mate.

Everything was soon mixed together and he started to make patties with the meat mixture. He shaped them with his hands, forming them into an almost oval shape. Once he had the patties formed, he placed them in the pan and started to fry them.

He set a timer to go off for when he would need to flip them. Usually he could eyeball it, but he knew deep down in his soul that his mind was going to drift off to another place as he cooked. _Gods_ he was so useless lately... The miko left his mind a muddled mess, but he couldn't really complain.

It was then that his thoughts drifted back to her, as they tended to do these days. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about tonight. There was a part of him that feared she would reject him, but he knew deep down that she would accept. He hoped at least. His beast was certainly cocky and confident, and he hoped he would be able to draw from its confidence tonight. He ran a hand through his bangs, stomping his anxiety down and doing his best to focus on the food.

His phone vibrated on the counter.

His head snapped around and he couldn't stop the grin that graced his features as he picked the device up and unlocked it. Of course, it was from the very miko that had been plaguing his every thought.

**[ I'm so tired, oh my god ]**

[That bad, huh? ]

**[ Like you wouldn't fucking believe ]**

[ Tell me all about it ]

**[ It's kind of a lot, can I call you? ]**

**[ You can say no ]**

His heart was hammering in his chest. She wanted to call him.. They hadn't breached over to calls and it had been _so __**long**_since he had last heard her voice. He had to shake his head to clear his mind. He needed to _respond_.

[ You can always call me at any time ]

There was a small pause before his phone lit up with her call. He answered immediately.

"Well, hello." he said with a lopsided grin.

"Hey.." she replied, sounding a bit breathless. "Are you sure you're okay with me ranting, because it really is a lot this time..." He could hear her nervousness over the phone and it made him frown slightly.

"I told you before didn't I? You can come to me with anything that's bothering you. I'm here to help in anyway I can, Kagome. I promise."

There was a small pause before he heard her let out a sigh. "I really appreciate that.." Her voice was so soft and it set his heart _racing_. Oh gods what he would give to see the look on her face right now, to just have her here with him, in his arms, making her forget all her troubles. He managed to push the raunchy path his thoughts were starting to trail down out of his mind just in time for Kagome to launch into her rant.

It was long, not that he minded, but she went through an array of emotions throughout the entire phone call. It mostly ranged between burning, fiery rage and utter sorrow. It broke his heart to listen to her whenever she would reach a sad point. He could tell by the way her voice wavered and cracked that she was trying to fight back tears. He wanted nothing more than to just show up at the hospital and take her away. He wanted to wipe away her tears, shower her with kisses and make her forget. Hopefully he could remedy her mood tonight.

When she was finally done, she was sniffling and Kouga was certain that she was crying. His beast was in a frenzy, screaming at him to go to her, kill whoever had made her upset. Kouga, however, was more rational than that. He gave her a moment to collect herself before he spoke up.

"I'm sorry it's been so rough for you."

"I'm just ready to get off this shift and spend these two days off in peace." she replied, sounded utterly exhausted. Despite her obvious upset, Kouga couldn't help but feel excited about the fact she had two days off.

"What time do you get off?"

"I'm _supposed_ to get off at 8, but we'll see if that actually happens." He could practically see her rolling her eyes. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"If you could get me out of the rest of this shift, that would be _phenomenal._"

He laughed a bit harder at that. "As much as I would love to, I don't think I'm capable of such things."

"You sure about that, given your... _profession?_"

"Do you really want me to do my work at a _hospital?_" he fired back, a huge, dorky grin on his face.

There was a small pause before he heard her sigh. "Well I mean... there's some pros and cons about that... so I'm a little conflicted..."

"Oh really now?"

"Yeah, I mean... we have patients here so.. that's a con.. but a pro is that we're a hospital. So.. _y'know..._ it'd be easier to do our job in that sense. And there's a morgue as well.. down in the basement."

His smile grew, if that was possible. He grabbed a spatula and flipped over the patties. "Resourceful.. I like that."

There was a huff on the other line before her response. "_Look_.. I'm just saying."

"I know, I know." He set the spatula to the side and the leaned back against the counter, crossing his free arm over his chest. "But in all seriousness, is there anything I can get you? Anything at all?"

"Hmmm..." Other than her small, occasional hums, the line was silent as she thought. Kouga could picture what she looked like. Her eyebrows just ever so slightly furrowed, index finger curled at her chin, her teeth pulling her lip into her mouth. Her full, plump, pink _kissable_ lips... _Gods_ what he would give to have them–

"Chocolate. I don't care what it is, as long as it's chocolate. No dark chocolate though.. I want something sweet."

His cheeks were dark, his skin hot as he tried to forget where his mind had been traveling. "Consider it done."

"Thank you, Kouga, it really means a lot."

"Of course, anything for you Kagome."

He heard her laugh and it warmed his heart. He was glad to have provided her some sort of solace in her shift. "I have to get going, but I'll text you when I can."

"Yeah, of course. Have a good rest of the night at work."

She snorted. "Yeah, hopefully nothing too crazy happens in this last 45 minutes." she replied.

"Talk to you later."

"Talk to you later.."

And with that, the call ended. Kouga stood there, staring at his phone for a couple moments, a goofy grin on his face. He chuckled a bit to himself before he slipped his phone into his pocket and did his best to focus on the food he was preparing. Thankfully, it didn't take him too long to finish the meal up and he quickly had it packed away. He placed it into the basket and covered it up with a cloth, hoping to help contain the heat. Now all he needed to do was get her chocolate and everything would be perfect.

**-BG-**

Kagome left the hospital with a sigh, rolling her shoulder as she stepped into the alley. She was only leaving 10 minutes after her shift, a new record for her. She pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Kouga.

[ I'm freeeeeeeeee! ]

It was a little silly, but she felt comfortable with him. The thought made her blush and she tucked the device back into her pocket, however the action was useless as it vibrated almost as soon as she put it away. She couldn't help but laugh a bit at how quick his response was.

**[ Glad to see you survived ]**

[ You and me both ]

**[ So what do you plan on doing with the rest of your night? ]**

[ Probably TV and then passing out, hopefully in bed and not on the couch ]

**[ Have you considered moving your TV to your room? Cut out the middleman? ]**

[ No I haven't. If I had my TV in my room then I probably wouldn't ever sleep, haha ]

[ Besides, how would I enjoy TV with my guests when I have them? ]

**[ You can always move it back ]**

She snorted a bit at that.

[ Sounds like a lot of work ╮(▰´△`)╭ ]

[ I don't know if you realize this, but I try to enjoy my time off and do as little work as possible ]

**[ Ah, I see. My bad then ]**

She laughed a bit more at that. She turned down into the next alley that would spit her out at her complex.

[ What are your plans for the night? ]

**[ Not sure yet ]**

[ Oh? No trouble that needs getting into? ]

**[ Not that I can tell **^.~ **]**

[ And just what is that supposed to mean? ]

**[ **╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭** you tell me ]**

Kagome rolled her eyes.

[ Whatever, lol ]

She was soon in front of the stairs that led to her apartment. Kagome let out a sigh and tucked her phone into her pocket. She always hated climbing them at the end of the day, but there wasn't really anything she could do about it. It was better to just get it over with... and so she did.

She took the steps as quickly as she could, and once she was at the top she took a quick breather, popping her back and shoulders before she walked down the hall to her apartment. The lighting for the hallway wasn't the best, had never really _been_ the best, and it certainly didn't help that some of her neighbors didn't turn on their little "porch light" at night. She wasn't sure what else to call the light in front of the door. A door light? She was tired.. she needed sleep.

As she drew closer to her apartment, she could see a silhouette near her apartment. Her eyebrows furrowed together. Who could that be? She was a bit more cautious now, readying whatever reiki she had left in her, just to be safe, but as she came closer, her worried disappeared as her breath caught in her throat.

He was here. He was _actually here_.

Kouga was leaning against her door frame, arms crossed over his chest. He had on a pair of blue jeans, a white T, and of course, his black leather jacket. The only thing he was missing was a toothpick in his mouth. While a part of her wanted to laugh at that mental image, the majority of her, or as she referred to as her dumb monkey brain, was just screaming, "Kouga! Here! Hot! Titties!" It took everything in her to try and fight the heat that threatened to warm her cheeks, no, her entire _body_. She failed, of course.

Kouga's head soon turned to look at her, and when he flashed her that lopsided grin, she was done for. Her knees felt weak and she willed them to hold. How embarrassing would it be if she were to collapse in front of him after not seeing him for close to two weeks? It would be downright _pathetic_, and she had an image to try and keep.

"Hey Kagome."

"Hey Kouga."

He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to her, and that's when she noticed the basket he had tucked into the crook of his elbow. He reached for the basket, slowly, as he walked towards her. She could feel his eyes roaming over her and it sent chills running through her. She tried to not visibly shudder. He was soon standing right in front of her, the basket held in between them. She took it carefully and forced herself to look away from his baby blue eyes to see what he brought her.

A small gasp escaped her as she looked into the basket. Half of it was filled with all different kinds of chocolate and the other had what she knew was a home cooked meal for her. She looked up at him, stars in her eyes and it just about floored him. "You cooked for me again." It wasn't phrased in a questioning tone, more breathless and taken aback, shocked.

"Yeah, of course."

She looked back down at the basket, then back up to him, basket, Kouga. "Th-thank you. It.. it really means a lot. You didn't have to go through the trouble–"

He pressed a finger to her lips and Kagome had to remember that she needed to breathe in order to live. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that it's no trouble. I'm trying to impress you, after all." he said, shooting her a wink.

His finger lingered on her lips for a couple more seconds before he pulled it away, allowing her to reply. "And why would you need to do that?" she teased.

His grin grew. "You think I don't need to?" She shrugged in response and Kouga let out a hearty laugh. It warmed her heart and caused a smile to break out on her face as well. When he was done, his eyes were shining and Kagome felt weak all over once more. "That's quite the compliment, you know?"

He stepped closer to her and Kagome removed the basket from between them, holding it at her side. Her breath caught in her throat and she knew, she _knew_ that Kouga heard her, because his grin grew. He brought a hand up, tucking a couple stray hairs behind her ear and Kagome's skin lit up at the brush of his fingertips.

"So, since I don't have to try to impress you.. would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow, at 7?"

"6.." she breathed, surprising the both of them. Her cheeks grew hot, turning bright right red in color as his eyes went wide for a couple seconds. He chuckled a bit and cupped her face with his hand, brushing his thumb along her cheek.

"Well, 6 it is then." He then slid his hand down her face, taking her chin between his thumb and index finger and tilting her head down ever so slightly. He then pressed a kiss to her forehead, and before Kagome could react, or even fully process what was happening, he was gone.

**-BG-**

Kagome's breath hitched and caught, trapping a moan in her throat. She shuddered as she climaxed, her body lifting off the bed slightly as her hands pulled away from her clit and her nipple. She flopped back onto the bed after a couple moments, her breathing labored as she laid there and tried to collect herself.

Here she was, taking care of an urge that kept nagging at her, one that sparked back up at a near instant from just the _sight_ of him. It had been bright, burning, _blazing_... and _**insistent.**_ Since the moment she had seen him, she hadn't wanted to let him go. She wanted to invite him in, bring him to her bedroom, let him have his way with her.

Kagome somehow managed to roll ever just enough to bury her face in the pillow. Gods, she embarrassed _herself_ with her own thoughts at times. She was eager for their date tomorrow, but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to control herself... She wasn't going to _jump him,_ but she couldn't say whether or not she'd be turned to putty by the end of the night. If he just so happened to want to come in at the end of the night, then she wasn't going to stop him. If he wanted to move things to the bedroom, so be it. If he wanted to rest his head on or between her thighs, then by golly gosh...

Kagome hooked the blankets with her foot and started to pull them up, soon switching them off to her hand. If she kept going down this path, she was going to end up needing to take care of herself all over again. She sighed as she was soon fully tucked under the covers. She shifted so she was fully on her side and a hand reached down to tug up her underwear, which was slightly offset.

As the miko began to drift to sleep, now worn out from her activities, she realized she had a call to Sango in her future. She grumbled, burying her face back into the pillow. She was going to die, and for a _multitude_ of reasons. She would definitely need to rest up for the scolding she was about to receive from her best friend...


	7. Pretending

_Can we please stop pretending_  
_We're not both feeling this_  
_Baby, you're killin' it_  
_And I don't know how much more I can take_

(Pretending by Anthony Amorim)

So you know how this is a slow-burning fuse? Well, I've bene pouring gasoline all over it. Hope y'all enjoy the explosion, lol

* * *

Kagome let out a groan, more of a whine really, as she pleaded for Sango to just _stop._ She had taken care of all her things she needed to do earlier in the day; i.e. bathing, making her skin as smooth as a dolphin, eating lunch, etc. Now, she just needed help with her outfit and here Sango, her supposed _best friend,_ was berating and teasing her, and has been for the past hour. As soon as Kagome had stepped out of the shower and dried off, she had messaged Sango to make sure Miroku wasn't around before Facetiming her. And that's when it had begun…

"Look Kagome, all I'm saying is that I'm hurt you hadn't told me sooner."

"Well, I wasn't sure it was going to go anywhere beforehand!" she defended, rummaging through her dresser. Her phone was propped up on her nightstand.

"Seriously? You expect me to believe that? Don't you realize what the gifts mean?"

Kagome stilled for a moment as she thought about it. Her cheeks turned pink. "Not… 100% no…" She heard Sango sigh and she turned her head to look up at her phone, seeing that her friend had her head in her hand.

"It's how wolf youkai start their courtship. How do you not remember this? We learned this in high school!"

Kagome's cheeks darkened. "Look, high school was a _looooong_ time ago!"

"Not long enough for you to forget!"

"Well we all can't have slayer training like _some_ people!" she snapped back. Sango rolled her eyes and that's where the conversation ended. Kagome stood up, huffy, and moved over to her closet, dragging her phone along with her and propping it up. "Let's just get back to the task at hand, shall we?"

"Yeah, alright. So, what are you going for here?"

The miko shrugged. "I dunno.. I just… wanna look really good, okay? But not like… _too…_ good?" She threw her hands in the air then and made an unintelligible noise. Thankfully, Sango was well-versed in Kagomenese and understood what she meant.

"Yeah, alright. How about going through your dresses? You haven't worn any in a while. I'm sure it'll be a nice change from pants. Plus, it's a little warmer, so you won't have to put on tights, like you would a skirt." Kagome nodded, taking in Sango's wealth of information. She then went back over to her closet and opened it. As she was rummaging around, she heard Sango speak up from behind her. "Hey Kagome… may I ask _why_ you're wearing your sexy underwear?"

Kagome's cheeks turned bright red and her body felt hot. She quickly turned around and hid her hands behind her back. "Wha.. I don't.. What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I think you know. You sly little _minx,_ you just wanna jump right into it don't you? I didn't know it was like that." Sango had a smirk on her face that could rival Miroku's lecherous one. Kagome suddenly had the thought that she was hanging around him too much… Sure, they may be married, but a little time apart wouldn't hurt.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhmmmmmm…"

"Look!" she pointed an accusing finger at Sango, making sure to aim for where the camera was so it would translate to her pointing in her face on Sango's end. However, her confidence didn't last long.. "I.. You.. Wha… S.. Okay, but you _always say_ to be prepared for anything and to always wear your cute underwear!" she said, trying to defend herself. Sango was practically cackling now. "Sh-Shut up!" With that, Kagome turned away, flashing her ass at her best friend once again as she ransacked her closet.

Once Sango's laughter finally died down, she set about trying to help her. "So, are you sure you wanna do the thong?"

Kagome's cheeks darkened once more. She wasn't sure _why_ she was so embarrassed, she and Sango talked about underwear all the time, and the slayer had seen her naked on more than one occasion. "Well, they're just comfortable to wear in dresses.." she provided, a bit meekly.

"Well what about your pair that's completely lace? I say, if you're gonna go all out then go all out." Kagome considered this for a moment as she was squatting on the floor looking for shoes. She tapped her finger against her chin. That pair had always come in handy for her… The lace was floral in design but scalloped around the edge, so it framed her but nicely and left a bit of skin uncovered. She had taken nudes in it once before and it never failed to send whatever lover she had at the time absolutely _reeling_. It was a 100% guaranteed knock out. "Lace is also quite comfortable to wear underneath a dress." Sango said.

Kagome turned her head around, looking up at her phone on the nightstand. "You are incorrigible."

"I'm only trying to help, Kagome."

The miko rolled her eyes and continued to rummage through her closet. Despite the attitude she was giving Sango, Kagome soon walked over to her dresser and changed her underwear. Sango cheered and Kagome almost stopped the call.

The two continued to whittle away at Kagome's options until they finally decided on a navy-blue dress. It was form fitting at the top with a small stripe of lace that ran across her chest and shoulders. The skirt went down to her knees and there was another band of floral lace that skated near the edge of the skirt. Kagome gave a little twirl in front of her mirror, and also Sango.

"Now, how are you going to do your hair? And are you going with makeup or no makeup?"

Kagome hummed in thought. "I think I'm just going to keep my hair simple, maybe help bring out the curl? And yes, makeup, always!" she replied, the last part uttered with an obvious tone and accentuated with a roll of her eyes. Sango simply laughed. The miko then picked up her phone and dragged her best friend into the bathroom with her. They chatted idly as Kagome applied her makeup. Sango asked questions about her date, and Kagome gave answers the best she could.

She wasn't sure where they were going, but from what she knew about Kouga, and from what Sango told her about wolf youkai, it was going to be _extravagant_. And if not extravagant, then it was most definitely going to be a hearty meal. Given his profession, he likely had money as well... Kagome kept Kouga's "work" under wraps, simply telling Sango she wasn't sure what he did for a living.

Before long, Kagome was all ready and saying her goodbyes to Sango. "I'll text you when I get home and let you know how the date went."

"Alright. If you don't text, I'm going to make assumptions." she replied, waggling her eyebrows.

Kagome's cheeks were burning. "_Goodbye Sango!_"

The slayer was cackling once again. "Goodbye Kagome, have fun!"

And with that, the call was ended. All Kagome had to do now was wait until 6 o'clock. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to wait too long, as it was 5:46 right now. Kagome was simply putzing around, collecting the few things she had left to collect. She made sure to put the lipstick she was using into her purse, along with her wallet. She wandered back into her room, grabbing a creme colored cardigan to bring with her, just in case she needed it.

She had to resist the urge to chew on her lip as she looked down at her phone, plopping down onto her couch. She and Kouga hadn't texted all day. She appreciated him allowing her to rest and get ready, but now she was feeling a bit anxious.

5:51

Nine more minutes.

Gods, she was going to _die. _She needed to find something to distract herself with.. but what? She had no clue... She checked her phone again.

5:52

This was torture. Why couldn't he show up early? Did he really _have_ to come on time? She let out a sigh and fully unlocked her phone, going to one of her social media apps and just started scrolling. That usually killed time pretty quickly... Thankfully, it seemed to work, as in what felt like no time at all, she heard a knock at her door. A quick look at the time showed that it was 6:00 on the dot. She rolled her eyes before she stood up, walking towards the door, unlocking and opening it.

She was greeted by the sight of the man who was driving her seven kinds of crazy. He was dressed in a pair of black pants, a light blue button up and, of course, his black leather jacket. She drank him in as his eyes roamed over her. She could feel him staring at every inch of her and she had to resist the urge to squeeze her thighs together.

Kouga chewed at the inside of his cheek. She was stunning, and just one look at her had him weak. He wanted nothing more than to cancel their plans and just spend the night in her apartment, doing unspeakable things. His wolf was anxious, pushing him to take her, claim her now, _**mate her.**_ Kouga kept himself in check, repeating to himself that these things would happen in due time. He needed to be _patient_.

Her scent was intoxicating, a wonderfully spicy scent mixing in with her natural one. He wanted to move closer, inspect the change in scent more, however he soon caught her eyes and saw the flush on her cheeks. He grinned and watched as her blush darkened, a small smile working its way onto her face as well.

"Well.. you certainly seem casual. I thought this was a date." she teased, poking his chest delicately with her index finger.

"I thought I didn't need to impress you." he fired back.

Kagome rolled her eyes, a laugh bubbling in her chest and causing her shoulders to shake slightly. She looked at him through her lashes and somehow, _somehow_ Kouga was even more of a goner than he was before. "So, where are we going tonight?"

_Nowhere. Staying here. Who needs food?_ Despite all the things he wanted to say, and being egged on by his beast, Kouga managed to push them down and get out the _actual_ plans for the night, the premade plans. If Kouga hadn't already had things set up for them, he wasn't sure he would be able to leave her apartment right now. "We're going to this place I know. It's small, not really fancy, but the food is good and definitely worth it." he said.

She nodded and turned away from him to grab her shoes, a pair of black heels that she had hidden behind the door. Kouga watched as she put them on, licking his lips as she completed her look. She was just trying to absolutely _destroy_ him tonight, wasn't she?

Once she was done, she adjusted the strap of her purse and stepped out of her apartment, Kouga moving out of her way and standing slightly off to the side. He watched as she locked everything up and then turned to him once more, greeting him with a bright cheery smile. He couldn't help but smile back.

**-BG-**

It was a bit of a trek, but nothing too terrible and _definitely_ not enough for Kagome to regret wearing heels. They had turned into an alleyway and stopped in front of a small store front. There was a sliding door and the sign outside simply said "Sushi". Well, at least she now knew what they were going to be eating. While the restaurant itself may not be extravagant, she had a feeling the food _would_ be, otherwise Kouga wouldn't have brought her here.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as Kouga opened the door for her. She smiled up at him and stepped inside. The inside of the restaurant was fairly small, but there was a bit more seating than she thought there would be, most of it being at the bar. They picked a spot and sat down and as they settled in, Kagome took time to look around the restaurant. The inside was simple as well; the lighting was soft and somewhat romantic, and as for decorations, there wasn't much. There were a couple plants here and there, and there were some family photos on the walls. On one wall, were several pictures of patrons. She was surprised there wasn't a photo of Kouga up there, but then again, maybe he didn't want a photo.. given the fact he was a member of the yakuza.

Kagome turned back around to face the menu that was posted behind the chef. She hummed softly to herself as she considered her options. Some water was handed to them, and they both thanked him. As Kagome contemplated her options, Kouga watched her, a warm smile on his face. "You know you can get whatever you want, right?"

She turned to look at him, a light pink staining her cheeks. "I.. I realize. There's just a lot of options.." she replied. She was having a hard time deciding what kind of sushi she wanted. She loved octopus and mackerel, both things she hasn't had in a while. However, she also absolutely _loved_ salmon. Looking at the fish in the case didn't help matters either; everything looked so fresh and delicious. Maybe... maybe she should just get a chef's choice platter... Yeah that might be for the best.

She looked up at the chef and smiled warmly at him. "I'd like an assorted sashimi and a seaweed salad, thank you."

"I'll take the same."

The chef nodded and Kagome watched with rapt attention as he set to work. Their salads came first, and whatever the seaweed was marinated in was _delicious_. There was a small bed of cucumbers underneath the seaweed, as well as a slice of lemon to the side to squeeze on as needed. The lemon only heightened the flavor and Kagome felt like she had gone to heaven.

Kagome and Kouga chatted idly as they waited for their main course, taking small bites of their salad in between. Kagome mostly talked about work, prattling on and on about some of her more ridiculous cases. While she would normally give Kouga all the gory details, she refrained this time around, seeing as they were in a restaurant. Kouga watched her as she spoke, taking in all her mannerisms and watching the way her lips moved as she talked. She had put on a dark red lipstick and it was driving him crazy. While she didn't need makeup, in his opinion, it most definitely accentuated some of her features. What he wouldn't _give_ to just pull her close and kiss her senseless. But they were in public and he didn't want to cause any embarrassment. Humans were weird about PDA, but he wanted to respect her boundaries.

They soon received their main course and thanked the sushi chef. They then proceeded to dig in and Kagome felt herself _melt_. It was absolutely _delicious_. "This is fantastic.." she said after she had finished her piece of salmon.

"Yeah, I really like this place. Everything is really fresh and high quality."

"Yeah, you can definitely tell.." She ate a couple more pieces of fish before she finished up her story. "So, yeah.. that was a pretty wild ride." she finished off with a shrug.

Kouga laughed. "You certainly seem to take all this in stride."

"I mean, you kind of have to, you know? As one of my professors in school always said, 'If you're not laughing about it, you're crying about it' and they're really good words to live by. You have to find the humor in things... Though to be fair, for this particular case it wasn't too hard to find the humor." she said with a giggle.

"Yeah, definitely." he replied. There was another small pause for them to eat a bit more before Kouga spoke up again. "So here's something I've been a bit confused about; why is it so important for mikos to be in the hospital? Why are you needed constantly and deemed so important but highly overworked?" he asked.

Kagome considered her wording for a moment, chewing on a piece of octopus as she did so. "Well, mikos have incredible healing abilities. It really makes a difference in life or death situations. Humans– we're so fragile, you know? Any little bit that can increase the rate of survival is good in a hospital. However, there's not a lot of mikos anymore. Well, not any with the power level needed to heal major wounds and help hurry along a youkai's healing factor." She paused as she thought it over a bit more, taking a sip of water.

"Being overworked like we are.. it's definitely difficult, but I love my job. I just.. I don't know. I love helping people. I wanna do what I can. Yeah, I'm utterly exhausted most of the time, but I feel like it's a necessary evil, you know?" She looked up at him and saw the look on his face. He seemed a bit shocked, impressed, and _something_ else, something she couldn't place.

Kouga's hand twitched at his side, wanting to reach out to her, pull her close, but he refrained from doing so. She was so compassionate, and while it really shouldn't surprise him, the intensity of it made him do a double take. He could smell the passion and determination in her scent, and it only made him fall for her harder. After a couple seconds, he lost his internal battle and brought a hand up to cup her cheek. Kagome's breath caught in her throat, her eyes not leaving his. His gaze was intense, hypnotizing, and she couldn't help but get lost. His thumb stroked her cheek softly, leaving a blazing trail in its wake. She unconsciously leaned into his touch, just ever so slightly. It filled Kouga with a sense of triumph and he couldn't help but flash her a lopsided grin.

Kagome felt her heart stutter in her chest at his grin. This was it, this was how she was going to die. At least it's not a bad way to go, she couldn't complain about dying in the hands of a very handsome man. She smiled softly back up at him, bringing her hand up to cup his and stroke her thumb along the top of his hand.

They stayed like this for a couple more moments, silently enjoying each other's company and unable to look away. They did, eventually, pull away to finish off their meal. Thankfully there wasn't much left of it, the both of them eager to get out of the restaurant, maybe somewhere more secluded. Once their meal was finished, Kouga paid and once he received his check, they were out the door and walking down the street, back the way they came.

Kagome looked up at him periodically as they walked, trying to form words in her head. It was difficult, seeing how muddied it was. However, she eventually managed. "So... how did you get into this.. 'lifestyle' of yours?" she asked, using air quotes.

Kouga chuckled a bit. "Well, we kind of ran out of options at some point in time." She quirked a brow at this and Kouga rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "Y'see... we originally come from the mountains. We were driven out by our enemy, the Birds of Paradise. I don't know if they're still around or not, haven't really heard anything about them in a while. We've always wanted to go back to our homeland, but it's most likely been built over."

Kagome frowned at this. Sensing her sympathy, Kouga looked down at her and gave her a smile. "Don't worry, it doesn't bother us anymore; we've had years to get over it." He gave a shrug and that seemed to appease her, for now at least. "We grew increasingly closer to human communities, and sometime after the feudal era, when things started to develop more, we had to start blending in, or at least take advantage of what little we still had over the humans. Once they started forming gangs, we did as well. Not really hard for wolf youkai, you could say we were always kind of like a gang." he said, giving her a wicked grin. Kagome's eyes zeroed in on his fangs, glistening in the moonlight. She wondered what they would feel like dragging along her skin... She unconsciously licked her lips and Kouga faltered for a split second as he watched the action, light pink sliding across a deep, dark, almost blood red. However, he recovered before the miko could notice.

"But we took part in some of the.. _nastier_ business that humans seemed reluctant to do. Most yakuza killings are done by hired youkai. Some youkai yakuza are even closely tied to the main human yakuza families. Not all of us, of course, but there are some. The majority of the youkai yakuza are independent though."

Kagome nodded, trying to take all this information in. "I bet it's hard.. trying to fit in with society as it changes at a rapid pace.. rapid for you at least."

"It is a bit difficult, but we manage. You have to, or else you won't survive." he said simply, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I can see that." she replied.

"There's just some youkai that don't make the cut. Nothing we can really do about it." He shrugged once again and Kagome only nodded in response.

They fell into a bit of silence then. It wasn't uncomfortable, it was actually quite nice and relaxing. Kouga took this time to look Kagome over more. Her dress hugged in all the right places, accentuating her curves in a mouthwateringly tantalizing way. Her heels added height and brought her closer to his chin, rather than at his shoulders. It would be so _easy_ for him to swoop down and steal a kiss. _Gods_ how he wanted to do that.. But he wanted to do this properly; wait until he dropped her off at her door, and if she didn't want him to stay, that was fine. He could take care of himself later once he got home.

Kagome felt his eyes on her and she resisted the urge to shudder as a chill ran up her spine. She was eager to get to her apartment, but a part of her wanted to drag this out a bit, tease him a little. So, she added a bit of an extra sway to her hips, relishing as she felt his eyes get drawn to them. She held back her smile to the best of her ability.

"So, would it be safe to assume you're walking me to my door?" she asked. She peeked up at him from the corner of her eye, watching as a lopsided grin grew across his face.

"Well of course. It would be rude not to. This _is_ a date after all." he replied.

She chuckled a bit. "Good answer." She turned her head to fully face him, flashing him a bright smile. It stunned him for a good second before he was grinning back at her.

"Why are you asking?"

"Just wanted to be sure." She shrugged ever so casually before resting her hand on the rail of the steps leading up to her apartment.

"We both know I'm a perfect gentleman."

She stopped at the step she was on and turned to look at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Oh, are you now?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, given what you do for a living... one could think otherwise."

His fangs flashed in his widening grin. "And what could people possibly think?"

She paused, climbing the rest of the stairs and starting to walk down the hallway before she gave him her answer. "Well, someone could think you're a big bad wolf." She looked up at him through her lashes. She could see the desire in his eyes, and she was certain he could see it in hers too, hell, he could probably smell it all over her.

"And why can't a 'big bad wolf' also be a gentleman?"

They were now stopped in front of her door, standing in front of each other now. She didn't have to crane her neck up as much to look at him. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed by this fact or not... "I don't know.. maybe you can prove me wrong."

He stepped closer to her and her breath caught in her throat. His smirk grew. "And how would I be able to do that?" he asked, voice low and husky. The timbre of his voice vibrated along her skin and rumbled through her chest, leaving her knees weak.

"You could kiss me goodnight." she breathed.

His grin grew impossibly wide. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking the skin there for a couple seconds. He then leaned down, bringing his face closer to hers. Kagome closed her eyes as she tried to remind herself to breathe. His lips were soon pressed to hers, and they both felt as if they could die.

The kiss was supposed to be quick, chaste, _fleeting._ However, as soon as Kouga had started to pull away, the miko was wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back in. Their lips crashed together, and from there, everything was hot.

A growl rumbled through Kouga's chest as he returned her kiss with the same fierceness she was showing him. His hands snagged her waist and she was soon pressed against the door. She let out a soft, barely audible moan, but Kouga managed to catch it with his heightened sense. The small sound set him ablaze and he pushed his tongue past her lips, eliciting a gasp from the miko trapped in his hold. One of her hands traveled up to the back of his head and tried to find purchase in his hair, but he had it tied up into a ponytail. _Damnit..._

After a few more moments of feverish kissing, Kouga pulled away. He took in her state, feeling pride well up in his chest at the sight of her. Her lipstick was smeared and her cheeks were stained red. Her hair was slightly disheveled and she was giving off the most _intoxicating_ scent, and he now knew what it was. The spiciness in her scent was her arousal, and it just continued to grow, getting thicker and hanging in the air longer, invading his sense and driving him mad.

Before Kagome could fully register what was going on, he dove in again, this time aiming for her neck. He pressed a kiss to her neck before giving it a small nip. She gasped and her hand that was still around his neck gripped at his jacket. He continued to bite along her neck, trying to be mindful of his fangs. They ached to sink into the skin of her neck, and despite how badly he wanted to claim her right here and right now, he knew he shouldn't. Humans were _different._ He just needed to try to remind himself of that.

Kagome bit her lip, trying to keep her moans back. They were outside after all, and she wouldn't be able to stand the embarrassment of being heard. Though after a few moments, it became too much. She lowered both her hands to Kouga's chest and lightly pushed on it. "Kouga... in-inside.." she managed to get out.

Kouga gave her neck one last nip before he pulled away. It took the miko a couple seconds to recover, for the fog to leave her mind before she started digging for her keys. It didn't take her long, and she was soon unlocking the door with shaky hands. They stepped inside and Kouga closed and locked the door behind them. They took off their shoes, Kagome having a bit of a difficult time with how weak her legs felt right now, and as soon as they stepped away from the door and into her living room, the wolf was on her again. Except this time he didn't hold back.

One hand cupped her face, tilting her head back while the other pressed against her lower back. He pressed his lips against hers feverishly, pushing his tongue past her lips and pulling her body flush against his. Kagome didn't hold back her moan, though it was muffled from the kiss. A low growl rumbled through his chest and vibrated along her skin, causing her to break into goosebumps. Her arms snaked around his neck, one hand going up to the back of his head. She reached for the elastic of his ponytail, and once she found it, she tugged on it, pulling it off until she was able to slip it around her wrist and his hair was falling loosely around his shoulders. With it now free, she grabbed a fistful of it and tugged on it as she sucked on his tongue. Kouga moaned, melting under her touch. Gods, if he wasn't already in heaven, he was going to die and go there soon.

The kiss was broken once more, and the wolf was back at her neck, nipping on the skin a bit harsher this time, his hands gripping her hips tightly. Kagome gasped, her grip in his hair and on his jacket tightening. Her head tilted to the side, giving him more access to her neck. He gave her a pleased rumble in return. "J-Just.. no – _haahh_ – m-marks on my.. _mmmmnnneck_. I don't have a lot of.. c-concealer left.." He was a bit disappointed, but he complied with her request.

"Anywhere else fair game?" he asked, his voice rumbling through his chest.

"Y-Yes. Anywhere else."

He hummed in response and continued his trail of small bites along her neck. Kagome's legs felt weak under his touch, the actual thing proving to be better than she could have imagined.

She shakily brought her hands to his shoulders and started to push off his jacket. She managed to get it down to the crook in his elbows, but she was stopped there. His hands on her hips prevented her from moving the jacket any further down. Thankfully, Kouga seemed to catch onto what she was doing and he removed his hands, placing them at his sides long enough for the leather jacket to fall to the floor. Once it was off, his hands were back on her hips.

His hands soon slid up her body, ghosting along her curves and eventually reaching her shoulders, where he pulled away from her neck to slide her cardigan off and toss it to the side. His hands then reached for the back of her dress, undoing the clasp there and then reaching for her zipper. He paused, taking a moment to look at her, seek her approval. She nipped at her lower lip and he had to suppress a groan. Her hands moved to the collar of his shirt and then the buttons of it. She began to undo them and he took that as his cue.

He kept his pace in time with hers, unzipping her dress at the same pace she was unbuttoning his shirt. The zipper stopped once it reached her hips, but thankfully she was done with his shirt at the same time. She looked up at him, into his eyes and she almost got lost in them for a moment. There was a hunger in their depths and it made her shudder. Is this what prey felt like before they were devoured?

Her hands came up to his shoulders and she started to push off his shirt. His hands left her body in order for her to undress him. She looked at the exposed skin, taking in his tattoos, his abs, and his sweet, juicy, _succulent_ tits. She brought a hand up to his chest, tracing over the linework of his tattoos. Wolves, a full moon, and lilies. To be honest, the lilies still surprised her, but she figured they had a meaning to him, or maybe to wolf youkai in general. She would have to ask him later.

While Kouga was happy she was looking him over, and even happier that she was touching him, he was eager to get her dress off. He brought his hands up to her shoulders and hooked his thumbs into the fabric and began to pull. This seemed to catch her attention, and she removed her hands from his chest instantly. Her teeth caught her lip again and Kouga tried to not focus on that for too long. He began to slide the dress off her body, watching as her skin was exposed to him. The top part of the dress was soon off and all he had to work off was the skirt. However, he took a moment to look her over, drink her in. She had on a black strapless bra that had a small lace edging. Her skin was pale, like porcelain and he couldn't wait to mark it up, claim her as his.

His thumbs hooked into the fabric at her waist and he looked her in the eye. He sought her approval, making sure she still wanted this. She returned the intensity of his gaze and brought her hand up to the button of his pants, the corner of her mouth twitching into a snarky grin. He couldn't help but chuckle. He began to slide off the rest of her dress as she undid his pants and let them drop to the floor. Soon, they were both standing in their underwear and Kouga nearly choked.

Lace.

Her underwear was nothing but lace. Black, floral lace. He reached a hand out and brushed his fingers along the fabric, still in awe. Kagome giggled and that snapped him out of his trance. "You alright Kouga?" she asked, her tone teasing.

He smirked back at her. "You were planning for this, weren't you?" he asked, grabbing at her waist and slowly pulling her close.

"Maybe.." She gave him a sly smile and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"I have a few ideas.." Her eyes shifted towards her bedroom door and Kouga followed her gaze. He grinned before looking back at her.

"Would you like to discuss them in your room?"

She looked up at him through her lashes, her smile turning sultry. "Yeah, let's do that."

Despite their calm, casual demeanor, they quickly made their way to the bedroom. They broke out into giggles as they almost collided into each other when they reached the door. Kagome fumbled for a moment, momentarily distracted by the heat Kouga was emitting behind her. Gods she couldn't wait for him to pin her down and utterly _destroy_ her.

She thrust the door open, a bit more forceful than she meant to, and they both stumbled into her room. Kouga closed the door behind them with his foot. Normally, he would've taken time to look around the room, but Kagome was quite distracting. She was on him in an instant, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in for a heated kiss. He groaned, pressing his hands against her back and pulling her flush against him. Her tongue delved into his mouth and he groaned in response. He could feel the corner of her mouth twitch just ever so slightly.

They kissed heatedly for a few moments before pulling away. Kouga instantly lowered himself enough to sink his teeth into the newly exposed flesh of her collarbone. Kagome cried out as he began to nip, lick, and suck harshly at a particular patch of skin. Her hands found purchase on his shoulder and her nails dug in, trying to ground herself and keep her legs from collapsing under her as his mouth began to travel down, leaving a trail of hickies.

When he reached the edge of her bra, he nibbled lightly on the skin there, his hand sliding up to unclasp it. Kagome knew she needed their position to change before he did so, because otherwise she'd be a goner. "K-Kouga... bed.. please.."

He didn't say anything, a low rumble in his chest her only answer as he gave one last nip before pulling away. He guided her to the bed and gently pushed her down onto it before hovering over her. He unclasped her bra then and tossed it to the side. He looked her over for a moment, drinking her in and appreciating her beauty. He slowly brought a hand up and cupped her breast, giving it an experimental knead. Kagome released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

He watched her face intently, gauging her reaction with each move he made. He brushed his thumb over her nipple and her head tilted back just a fraction as she released a small gasp. He continued to brush over it until it perked up. Once it did, he took it between his thumb and index finger and rolled it. Kagome let out a shaky moan and Kouga couldn't help but smirk.

He continued to work that breast with his hand as he moved his mouth back to her chest. He trailed his way down from her collarbone to her other breast. He left a particularly nasty mark on top of her breast before taking her nipple into his mouth. She cried out as he lightly poked the nub with his fangs and then soothed it by swirling his tongue around it. Before too long, he switched sides, doing the same process as last time. Kagome felt like she was going to die. Her mind was turned to mush and she was putty in his hands, gladly so.

He soon left her breasts and traveled down further. He trailed soft kisses down her stomach, nipping lightly every now and then as his hands grasped her waist. His mouth soon reached the edge of her panties and his eyes shifted to look at her. Her breathing was heavy and her cheeks were flushed a delicious shade of red. He couldn't help but grin and feel pride at the state he was leaving her in.

Kouga's hands gripped her hips, holding her in place as he pressed his mouth to her clothed pussy, where he gave a small suck to her clit. Kagome cried out, her hips trying to buck up, but he pinned them down. He then dragged his tongue up along her covered slit, teasing her and teasing himself with the taste of her. Her scent was strong and it was invading his sense, making it hard for him to think, but he managed to push through, albeit with great difficulty.

He continued to tease her with licks and small sucks before his thumb hooked into the band of her underwear. He pulled away from her, a disappointed whine coming from the miko before he began to slide her underwear off. He sat back on his heels for a moment, taking in the sight of her fully nude form. She was absolutely beautiful; porcelain skin marked up with reddish purple hickies, her cheeks red, lips kiss swollen, her hands trying to reach him as she grew impatient.

"Kouga.. please.." she whined.

He chuckled. "Sorry, I'll get to it."

Before she could respond, his hands were back on her hips, pinning her down once more as he settled between her thighs. A small sigh escaped her lips as she spread her legs further for him. Kouga chuckled and Kagome squirmed as his breath hit her exposed pussy. She was about to ask him to hurry on with it when he pressed his mouth to her and ran his tongue along her slit. She cried out, fisting the sheets below her as his tongue set to work.

He teased her at first, running his tongue along her entrance and giving small sucks to her clit, but before too long, he was merciful and he was soon pushing his tongue inside. Kagome cried out as her mind went blank. The only thing she knew in this moment was Kouga, his tongue, and how _good_ it felt. He worked her into a frenzy, removing his tongue every now and again to lick and suck at her clit. At some point, her thighs were squeezing his head and she could feel herself coming closer and closer to the edge. Her hips kept wanting to buck, rise off the bed, but he held them down. Just as she felt she was about to go over the edge, he pulled away.

It took her a couple moments to for the fog to clear and for her to realize just what exactly happened. Once she did, her eyes snapped open and her eyebrows furrowed together. She looked up at Kouga, ready to yell at him and _make him_ finish what he started. Just as she tried to sit up, he was pushing her back down by her shoulders, chuckling.

"Don't laugh! Finish what you've started!"

He quirked a brow at that, an amused look on his face. "You want me to finish?"

"Yeah. You're a gentleman, aren't you?" she asked.

He laughed a bit more, shaking his head slightly. "I am, and don't worry, I _do _intend to 'finish what I started'. Just be patient."

She pouted, and was about to argue more when her eyes caught his hand movements, and where exactly they were going.

His thumbs hooked into the waistband of his underwear, and Kagome watched with rapt attention. He couldn't stop the grin that crossed his features as she slowly propped herself up on her elbows, her tongue sliding over her lips. He took his underwear off slowly, teasing her, and once it was fully off, he tossed it to the side.

She took him in and bit her lower lip. He was large. Not only was he long, but he was _thick_. Though that really shouldn't be a surprise to her.. She knew she could handle a large dick, she's taken some good dickings in the past, the only thing she was worried about was the one thing she couldn't tear her eyes away from. His knot.

Now, she's laid with several youkai with a manner of strange dicks. She's dealt with ribbed, bumped, and hell, even one that was, to her surprise, two thin dicks that had been twined together and untwisted inside her and could function separately from each other. She thought it had just been some sort of corkscrew shape, and boy if she wasn't pleasantly surprised. However, she had never come across a youkai with a knot before. So, understandably, she was a bit apprehensive. The knot itself wasn't that large, just slightly thicker than his shaft, but she had a feeling that it could, and _would,_ get larger than that. She licked her lips again, but this time as a nervous habit. Well.. she was sure she could handle it.

She moved to sit up further, but Kouga was quick to push her back down, an amused grin on his face. "Wha–"

"Shh. I'm a gentleman, remember?"

"And what does that have to do with me not sucking your dick?"

He faltered here, not really expecting this kind of answer from her. Gods.. having her mouth wrapped around his dick sounded _fantastic_, but he had a goal in mind. "Next time you can."

"That doesn't really answer my–" He cut her off by quickly leaning over and kissing her, softly and tenderly. She couldn't help but instantly melt under his touch.

"Next time, I promise." he whispered against her lips.

"I'll hold you to that."

"Trust me, you won't have to." He gave her a quick peck before pulling away from her slightly. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have any condoms, would you?"

She silently cursed herself. That was the one thing she had forgotten. She had been so caught up in her appearance she forgot the most important thing. Well.. she was on the pill and she had just recently had her period, so she _should _be good. "I don't, but I'm on the pill so we should be fine."

He nodded at that. With that out of the way, he positioned himself at her entrance, then looked up at her. Just to make sure. She bucked her hips in response, making them both groan at the feeling, though Kouga couldn't help but chuckle. He got the message.

He braced himself above her and Kagome's breath caught in her throat. He then slid in, slowly and carefully. They moaned, Kagome's thighs shaking slightly. He continued to move slowly until he was almost fully inside her, the only thing left out was his knot. They stayed still for a couple moments, giving each other time to adjust.

Once Kagome was ready for him to continue, she let him know by bucking her hips. He chuckled. "You're so eager.."

"Can you blame me?" she asked, somehow managing a smirk.

"No, not really."

He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he slowly pulled out, leaving only the tip in, and then slammed back into her. Kagome swore she saw stares. Her breath caught in her throat and before she could fully react he was doing it again, and again, and _again._

He kept the pace slow at first, peppering her face with kisses as he rammed into her. His slow pace didn't last for long, as they were both needy and teetering too close to the edge. Kagome cried out, mainly a garbled mess that was akin to a verbal key smash, and sometimes his name. Any time she managed to get his name out, he would growl in response and slam into her particularly hard.

After a certain point, he pulled out completely, groaning as he did so. Kagome's mind had just begun to clear and form coherent thought as he turned her over, raising her ass in the air and positioning himself behind her. He gave her a moment to collect and prepare herself, watching as she moved her pillows to help prop herself up on her elbows and forearms. Once she was ready, she rocked her hips up against him.

His hands were on her hips, holding her still as he slowly sank his length back into her heat. They moaned in tandem and took a couple seconds to get used to the feeling once again. Somehow he was reaching even deeper now, and Kagome had a hard time thinking. She let out a shaky breath, steadying herself before rocking against him, letting him know she was ready.

Kouga took a moment to steady himself before he pulled back and slammed back in. If she thought she saw stars before, she was certainly seeing them now, without a doubt. Kagome cried out, and continued to do so as he rammed into her. He was soon bending over her, hands palming her stomach, sliding up to her breasts as his mouth left marks on her back. His mouth moved up her back as his thrusts became more shallow.

Their breathing was ragged, and they were both _so __**close**_ to the edge. Kouga's fangs were aching, wanting to sink into the flesh of her neck, mark her, claim her, _**mate**__**her.**_ But he couldn't, not yet. But to keep himself in check, he would need to stay away from her neck. So he continued to bite along her back, enjoy the sounds she made. His knot continued to try and push in, and with each thrust, it grew closer to being able to slip in. Fuck, he should probably ask before he just up and knotted her... He gave the spot he was working on on her shoulder one last bite before he pulled his mouth away.

"K-Kagome.."

"Hmmmmm_mmmm?_"

"Can I... _f-fuck_... Would– Do you.. wan.. want me to.. to knot–"

"I... I doo_ooon't_ ca– care. Do.. Just..." She buried her face in the pillow as she moaned, one of her hands gripping the sheets below her. "Just dooooo ittt..." she finally managed to get out.

"Alright.." And with that, he didn't hold back. He picked up his rhythm, one of his hands leaving her breasts and delving between her thighs. He started to rub her clit, making her cry out, though her moans were now muffled by her pillow. With one last thrust, his knot pushed in and he came, Kagome quickly following suit. Kouga made a couple shallow thrusts, not really able to do much seeing as he was now anchored inside her. They stayed there for a couple moments, Kouga pressed against her back, Kagome's face buried in her pillow, both out of breath and collecting themselves and their ability to think.

Kagome finally turned her head to the side, her breath evening out. Oh fuck.. she still had makeup on... she should probably go remove that... She grumbled a bit before being able to form her thoughts into words. "Kouga.. can you move? I gotta.. get makeup off."

He pressed a kiss between her shoulder blades before he answered. "Sorry, can't move."

"Why not?"

"That's why." he said, grinning at his own joke of using the play on words. However, Kagome didn't catch on, and at her confused grumble, he chuckled a bit. "My knot. We're gonna be stuck together for a bit."

"How long is 'a bit'?"

"About 15 minutes or so."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Hey, could be worse. We _could_ be here for the full 30 if I was in my true form."

"Oh gods..."

Kouga simply laughed and Kagome rolled her eyes. "Better make ourselves comfortable." he teased.

It took some maneuvering, but soon, they were both laying down on the bed and underneath the covers. Their legs were tangled together and Kouga had his arms wrapped around her midsection. He peppered her shoulder with soft kisses, soothing the marks he had left on her skin. Even though she still wasn't sure what to think about the whole knotting situation, she had to admit that the cuddling was nice. Sure, they didn't really have any other choice _but_ to cuddle, however she knew deep down that they would've ended up like this at the end of the night regardless. It was nice, soothing, _relaxing_, and most definitely welcomed.

She snuggled further into him. "Hey, if I fall asleep, will you wake me up so I can go take my makeup off?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course." he replied, pressing a kiss behind her ear. She giggled a bit and turned her head around, enough for him to press a couple kisses to her cheek before pressing a final one to her lips. She grinned, thoroughly enjoying the attention before turning her head back and settling into Kouga's warmth.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the delay, I've been the big depresso espresso, and I also lost my job, lol

I wasn't fired or anything, tho. You know how you usually turn in your 2 weeks to your job? Well, my job did that to me, and now it no longer exists, because it's closed. Big fun times! :)))))))

* * *

Sunlight filtered through the curtain, casting soft, warm light on the couple in bed. Kouga's eyes slowly cracked open and he shifted slightly, pulling Kagome closer to him. She stirred for a split second, but didn't wake up, only letting out a soft grumble. He couldn't stop the grin that curled his lips. He brought a hand up to her face, stroking his finger against her cheek, right underneath her eye.

His thoughts drifted back to last night and his smile only grew. He had stayed true to his word, waking her up once his knot had gone down so she could clean her face. She had also taken off her pillowcase and replaced it. She _attempted_ to try and undress the entire bed and change the sheets, but Kouga prevented her from doing so. She had started to protest, but when he pulled her back down towards him and peppered her face and neck with kisses, she gave in. Though in actuality, it didn't take much to convince her.

They had simply laid there for a while, not talking, just enjoying the feel of being wrapped up in each other. Kouga had never felt so comfortable in his life. He felt at ease enough to drift off to sleep, which is what he had done not too long after Kagome had. Being a youkai, he didn't really need to sleep. Of course, he needed to every now and again, but Kouga rarely slept. He couldn't help himself last night, though. Kagome was so warm and soft, and the way she molded into his body... it was perfect.

But now he was awake and able to fully enjoy her warmth once again. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. He curled against her more, pressing a soft kiss behind her ear before moving her hair out of the way to kiss her neck. He knew he should let her sleep, but he just couldn't help himself; she was intoxicating and warm and soft. His legs tangled further in hers while his other arm wrapped further around her torso, pulling her flush against him. Kagome grumbled for a moment, but settled once again. A light chuckle escaped him and he pressed another kiss behind her ear. He shifted slightly, hovering over her just enough to press a kiss to her cheek before settling in back behind her.

They stayed like that for a couple more moments, their peace ultimately being disturbed by Kagome's phone ringing. His intention was to reach for it and shut it off before Kagome could wake up, but this seemed to fail, as the first ring woke her up. She grumbled and whined at first, then she slowly wormed her way out of his arms and reached for it. "God damn it Sango..." he heard her grumble under her breath.

Kagome ran a hand down her face before she answered the call, bringing it to her ear.

"So, how was the sex?"

Her cheeks _flared._ She was instantly awake now. How could Sango do this? First thing in the morning? Not even giving her a chance to _speak?_

"S-Sango! What the hell?"

Kouga couldn't help but chuckle, and this only embarrassed the miko further. She grabbed a pillow and shoved it in his face.

"Oh? Is he still there? _Sorry~!_ Didn't mean to disturb."

"I swear, I'm going to kill you one of these days." she threatened, voice low.

"Oh, Kagome you would nev-" And Kagome hung up. It was only a couple seconds before she received a text from the slayer.

**[ Rude ]**

Kagome chose to ignore it, setting her phone back on the bedside table and flopping back onto the bed, next to Kouga. By now, his laughter had died down and he removed the pillow from his face. As soon as he was uncovered, Kagome was curling into him, resting her head against his chest. Kouga brought his arms up, wrapping them around her. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before burying his nose back into her hair.

"I could kill Sango right now. Not only does she wake me up from one of the best nights of sleep I've had, but she teases me on top of it." Kagome whined, burying her face into his chest.

He chuckled a bit, dragging a hand along her bare spine. It gave her chills. She couldn't stop the shudder and he couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad you slept so well."

She shifted then, moving up and laying her head on the pillow next to his, now able to look him in the eye. His hand continued to trace shapes on her back and along her spine. She brought a hand up to cup his cheek, giving him a soft smile. They stayed silent for a couple moments, enjoying the feel of each other. She then leaned in and they shared a soft, tender kiss.

Kouga pulled her close, bringing her body flush against his. His fingers splayed across her back and he brushed his tongue along her lips. Kagome let out a soft moan, bringing her leg up to hook over his hip. His tongue delved into her mouth and she began to slowly grind against the leg he had between her thighs.

He broke the kiss and pulled his face away just ever so slightly, chuckling a bit. "You eager for more?" he asked, pressing his leg further against her clothed heat. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and she ground down on his leg in response. Her head tilted back slightly, exposing more of her throat to him and Kouga licked his lips.

"Y-Yeah.." she mumbled.

Kouga smirked. That's all he needed to hear.

He was at her throat in an instant, pressing kisses and lightly dragging his fangs along the curve of her throat. Kagome shuddered under his touch, her back arching and exposing more of her neck to him. A satisfied growl rumbled through his chest as his mouth traveled down. He bit harshly at her clavicle, aiming to leave another mark on her skin.

His hands slid around from her back, reaching for her breasts and cupping them tenderly before he began to massage them. Kagome let out a soft sigh, arching into his touch and continuing to grind against his thigh. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples as he gave a patch of skin on her chest a harsh suck followed by a soothing lick. He continued to leave a new trail of hickies down her chest, eventually reaching one of her breasts and replacing his hand with his mouth. His now free hand slid down her side, tracing over her curves and causing her to shiver. It slid down between her thighs, Kouga moving his leg to provide room for his hand to start rubbing at her clothed heat.

As he rubbed his thumb into her clit, Kagome cried out, her legs starting to quiver. He teased her through her panties, adding more pressure onto her clit whenever he would bite her nipple. However, he eventually pushed the fabric of her underwear to the side and pushed a finger into her dripping core. She groaned, rocking her hips against his hand. He was soon able to push in a second finger and when he did, his mouth left her breast and trailed back up her chest. She wanted to whine at the loss, but his fingers were just so _distracting_ that she could hardly focus on anything else.

His mouth continued its way up, leaving more marks on her skin, until he reached her ear. There, he nipped at the lobe of her ear, causing her to release a shaky breath. He then rested his cheek against hers and slowed the movement of his fingers. It took Kagome a moment to register and she whined.

"Kouga.. please..." Her hips rocked in protest, trying to get him to pick up the same pace he was at before.

He resisted the urge to chuckle at her eagerness. "I just need to ask you something."

"_Whaaaaaaaat?_"

"Do you want me to knot you again? I just need to know before we continue."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yes? Why is that a question?"

Kouga _did_ laugh this time. He moved his head back to rest on the pillow so he could see her face. "You didn't seem too pleased about it last night." She quirked an eyebrow. Before she could question him, he cut her off. "I meant about the timeframe."

"I was just surprised. I enjoyed it."

"And you're not just saying this so I'll hurry up and fuck you?" he asked, a hint of humor in his voice and in his smile.

She rolled her eyes once again. "Gods Kouga, no. Yeah, I want you to get _on with it_ but I wouldn't _lie._"

A laugh rumbled in his chest. "Okay, just making sure."

And then he was kissing her once more. Kagome matched his ferocity and melted into his touch. As his two fingers pumped inside her, his thumb continued to work her clit as his other hand resumed teasing her nipple. Her thighs quivered and she moaned into the kiss. She clung to him desperately, nails digging into his shoulders and making him groan.

Before too long, he was pulling his fingers out of her and tugging on her underwear. She helped him, hands shaking, and they tossed it to the side. His hands were then at her hips and he maneuvered them so she was lying on top of him. Kagome took a moment to collect herself before she sat up. She considered her options for a moment, deciding on what she should do. She could go ahead and ride him, or she could get back at him for last night. His thumbs rubbed against the skin at her waist and she looked down at him. She flashed him a smirk as she made up her mind.

She reached for his hands, removing them from her hips and placing them by his head. She held them there for a moment before letting go. He seemed to get the message and kept them there as she slowly moved down his body. She was soon resting between his thighs and giving him a wicked grin as she lowered herself.

Kouga's breath caught, the only sound that escaped was a soft "_fuck.._" that she almost didn't catch. Her grin widened and she slid her hand up his thigh, watching as his breathing slowly picked up. She wrapped a delicate hand around his cock, right above his swelling knot, and leaned down to press a kiss to the tip. She then swirled her tongue around it, relishing the sound of his gasp. She then took him into her mouth, slowly. Kouga moaned, long and low as she took in his length. She couldn't take him _completely_ into her mouth, but she got a good portion of his cock in. A part of her was sad she couldn't at _least_ reach to his knot, but she could just use her hand.

She then pulled away, almost removing her mouth from him completely before going back down. She started off with a slow pace, relishing the soft moans that left his lips. She slowly picked up her pace, and as she did so, Kouga found himself out of breath as his mind became muddied. Every now and then, he would manage to let out a curse instead of a strangled groan, and it pleased Kagome to no end. She couldn't help but feel powerful, being able to make a youkai turn to putty like this.

At a certain point, Kouga bucked his hips up, surprising the miko and causing her to choke a bit. "Sh-Shit.. Sorry.." Kagome simply hummed around his cock and the vibration made him moan. "Ah _fuuck..._" She pulled back, just enough to allow her to easily swirl her tongue around the tip. Another strangled moan left him and she knew he was close. She resisted the urge to smirk as she continued to work him up. Just as he was about to cum, she pulled away completely, sitting back and watching as he came around.

It took him a couple moments before the fog cleared. Once he was able to think again, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Wha-"

"Payback, for last night." she said with a devious smirk.

It took him a couple seconds to register, but when he did, a smirk curled his lips as well. "You-"

Kagome cut him off by pressing her lips against his, which made him melt instantly. She laid on top of him once again, pressing her body flush against his, as the kiss grew heated. Her hands were pressed against his shoulders and his were splayed across her back. One of his hands slid up, gripping the back of her neck tightly and making her moan.

Before long, she was reluctantly pulling away from him, giving him a parting peck before sitting up. She pulled her lower lip into her mouth as she rose up onto her knees and moved back. She took his dick in her hand then looked at him, looking him in the eye as she lined herself up and slowly sank down. They both moaned and once she had taken as much of him as she could, they stayed still for a couple moments.

Kagome placed her hands on his chest and slowly brought herself up before coming back down. She started off slow, but it didn't stay that way for long. She quickly picked up her pace and had the both of them seeing stars. Kouga brought his hands up to her hips, helping her with her momentum and began to thrust up into her, matching the pace she was setting.

It wasn't long before they were both getting close. Kouga brought a hand up to her breast, Kagome leaning forward slightly to help him reach it better. He circled his thumb around her nipple before pinching and tugging lightly on it. His other hand moved between her thighs, rubbing her clit in time with their thrusts. Kagome cried out above him, having a bit more of a difficult time keeping her body moving. With a couple more thrusts, she came down on him especially hard, his knot slipping in as she came, Kouga following just a split second after her. His hips bucked up a couple times before they both stilled, relishing the sensations.

After a few moments, they maneuvered themselves, carefully, and were lying on their sides, cuddled up together. Kouga was threading his claws through her hair as Kagome pressed kisses to his chest and shoulders. They laid in silence for a while, just enjoying the feel of each other and the warmth the other provided. Eventually, Kagome pulled away slightly to look up at him. Kouga brought a hand up to cup her cheek and they kissed, deeply, tenderly. Kagome felt herself melt under his touch.

The kiss broke and they soon resumed their cuddling. Kagome traced Kouga's tattoos, still in awe at them. "Did you get these done traditionally or with modern methods?" she asked.

"Traditionally."

She couldn't help but grimace. "How badly did it hurt?"

Kouga gave a shrug. "Nothing I couldn't handle, honestly. Remember, I _am_ a youkai after all." he said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes at that, but continued to trace the line work on his chest. "How long did it take?" she asked after a few moments of quiet.

"A pretty long time. Doing it the traditional way takes about three or four times as long as modern methods, but it's worth it in the end. My chest piece took maybe about 30.. 35 hours total?" Her eyes went wide at that. Kouga chuckled, running his claws through her hair lovingly. "If you think that's long, my back piece took about 100 alone, probably more, I kind of lost track." he finished with a laugh, but Kagome was just left speechless.

She let out a couple of choked sounds, not able to fully wrap her head around the thought. Kouga laughed a bit more and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He let her take her time to collect herself and form her thoughts into words. "I just... can't imagine. _That long?_"

"Yup. Not all in one sitting, of course. The line work is done in one sitting, but the coloring is done in multiple sessions. _I_, of course, could sit around all night long, but it's taxing on the artist, so we take breaks."

"Did you see youkai or human artists?"

"Human."

Kagome was surprised by this. "Are there no youkai artists?"

"I'm sure there are. I never sought them out though."

"Why not?"

"Well..." His class stilled in her hair for a moment. "I don't trust youkai that can draw. There's almost always ill intent with an artist youkai." he replied with a bit of a shrug.

Kagome wanted to push a bit more, but she did her best to force her curiosity down. She wasn't sure if Kouga would give her the answers, but she knew Sango would. So, she could ask the slayer later if she wanted to, which she most likely would.

A comfortable silence settled between them then. Kagome continued to trace Kouga's tattoos as he continued to play with her hair and press kisses to her face and top of her head. They shared a couple of tender kisses here and there as well. Before long, Kouga's knot had gone down and he was able to pull out. Kagome felt a bit.. _sad_, if that was a good word to use, at the loss. However, she knew there would be more in the future.

"Is it alright if I use your shower?" Kouga asked.

She quirked her eyebrow and did her best to bite down a smirk. "I'll let you sleep with me, but using my shower is where I draw the line."

Kouga chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. This one lingered for a while, his tongue slipping past her lips where he languidly moved it against hers. She couldn't help but sigh and melt into the kiss. After a couple moments, he pulled away.

"Well, guess I'm just going to have to cross that line, Kagome."

She couldn't help but snort and push against his chest, which made him laugh as well. He then sat up and turned around, moving towards the edge of the bed. That's when Kagome saw it.

His back tattoo.

It was intricate, bright, _vibrant_, and it had so many tiny details. She could tell right away the story the artist was telling with it. There were bamboo trees lining his sides, and in the foreground was a bed of red spider lilies. The full moon was high above, clouds surrounding it but not covering it, and there, resting in the bamboo forest was Princess Kaguya. She was sitting down, resting back against the bamboo and looking up at the full moon above her. Her kimono was a deep red with golden floral patterns stitched into the fabric. The robes were large and intricate; so many colors and patterns, yet they all complimented each other nicely. Her eyes looked sad, a longing in her expression that tugged on Kagome's heartstrings. She reached her hand out, touching Kaguya's shoulder. A part of her expected to feel dry, rough parchment under her fingertips, but instead, she was met with smooth, soft skin.

Kouga paused in his movements allowing Kagome to inspect further. She moved closer to him, pushing the sheets out of her way with her feet and pulling herself up into a sitting position. Her fingers traced along the ink lines, some part of her still expecting to feel the roughness of a hanging scroll and the brushwork and lines of paint and ink. Her eyes widened as she looked at the moon and realized its placement matched up with the one on his chest.. or maybe the one on his chest matched up with this. Either way, it was a small detail but.. _gods_ was it amazing and just downright _beautiful_.

"It's like a painting... I half expected to touch parchment when I reached out.." she whispered, breathless.

"Yeah, he does amazing work."

"Yeah.. no kidding.." Kagome's fingers traced along Kaguya's hair, which was let down. It was long, trailing down well past her back, splayed out on the ground and mixing with the dirt she rested on. It was hidden behind the lilies, and Kagome couldn't believe the sheer amount of _depth_ within the art. "How did you come up with this idea?"

"I didn't."

Her brows furrowed at that, and she finally forced herself to look away from his tattoo. Feeling that she had pulled away, Kouga turned around slightly, just enough to look at her.

"Whenever you go to get a traditional tattoo, you tell the artist about yourself. Once they learn a bit about you, they figure out what to do from there. They give you a tattoo based on your personality."

Kagome nodded at that and had to force back a frown as her eyes shifted to his back, only able to see a few pieces of bamboo. What had the artist seen in Kouga to create such a sad and lonely piece of artwork? What was he longing for? She looked back up at him, catching his eyes for a moment. His gaze quickly shifted, and soon he was turning back around and getting out of the bed. Had he seen the sadness in her eyes? He could probably smell her concern for him... She watched as he gathered the clothes he had in the bedroom and then walk out the door to get what was left in the living area, she assumed. Once he was gone, she let out a soft sigh and reached for her phone. She sent Sango a quick text, asking if she wanted to meet up for dinner, then got up and started to get dressed.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey hey hey! Don't know if y'all keep up with my other fics, but I have a new job now, and it's so much worse, lol. Hope you enjoy the update!

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Kagome smiled and waved Sango over to where she was standing. She had gotten there a bit early, but Sango was also one to arrive early, so she hadn't been waiting long, about two minutes at most. They greeted each other happily, pulling the other into a tight embrace for a couple seconds before pulling away.

"I'm going to want every _single_ detail."

Kagome's cheeks burned. She rolled her eyes at the slayer and gave her a playful shove. "Oh hush, I already know. Let's just go eat a bit first, okay?"

Sango laughed heartily. "Yeah yeah, let's go."

And with that, they made their way to the restaurant. They had decided to go for hot pot, despite the warm weather. They hadn't had it in a while, and they were both sort of craving it. Once everything was all set up and brought out for them, they thanked their server and started to work on their food.

"So.. where did he take you?" Sango asked as she put the mushrooms in.

"He took me out for sushi. It was a small little hole in the wall sort of place. It was really good, super high quality."

"And after?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and Kagome couldn't help but laugh.

"He walked me up to the apartment, he kissed me good night, and then it kind of just... _evolved._"

Sango nodded, adding in some more veggies while Kagome added in some meat. "And how was it?"

Kagome's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "It was... _fuck_ Sango, it was probably the best I've had in a while. And it happened again this morning and just... _wow..._"

Sango smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're happy and enjoying yourself. How did you guys meet anyway, you never told me, just that you were going out to dinner."

The miko paused for a moment, trying to figure out what she should say. She knew she very well couldn't tell her how they _actually_ met, and that he was in the yakuza. Maybe... "Well, I actually met him at the hospital. He was a patient I had and we kind of just... hit it off? I'm still not sure how it worked out that way but.." she shrugged.

"That's pretty sweet actually, kind of like the movies." Sango replied.

"Yeah, I guess." Kagome said with a laugh.

They continued to chat as they cooked and ate their food. Sango dished out some drama that was happening at the station which Kagome traded with stories from the hospital. Some of the stories she told were pretty gross, but neither of them really minded, they just made sure to keep their voices low so they wouldn't disturb any of the other customers.

Kagome was in the middle of telling one of her horror stories when her phone vibrated on the table. Her voice trailed off as she looked down at it. A smile curled her lips and she reached out for her phone, unlocking it and opening up Kouga's message.

Sango watched and did her best to hold back her laughter. It had been a while since she'd seen Kagome so happy, and it was nice. She waited for Kagome to put her phone down before she spoke. "So, when do I get to meet him?"

She laughed as Kagome fumbled and blushed. "I-I don't know. Why do you need to meet him?"

"He obviously means a lot to you already. I wanna meet him. He's gotta pass the Best Friend Test™." she teased.

Kagome groaned, putting her head in her hands. "Why are you determined to torture me?"

Sango's laughter only increased. Kagome's phone buzzed again and Sango poked her arm. "Better answer that." The miko rolled her eyes but reached for her phone regardless.

**[ So, how is your dinner going? ]**

[ Pretty good. Sango is teasing me tho.. （−＿−；）She said she wants to meet you ]

**[ Oh really? Guess that means I'm pretty special then **( ˘ ³˘) ** ]**

Kagome giggled, then blushed at Sango's raised eyebrow.

[ Don't think TOO highly of yourself now (๑ˇ ῁̫ ˇ)˒˒ ]

**[ Of course, I wouldn't dream of it **(ʃƪ ˘ ³˘)** ]**

She rolled her eyes, but set her phone down on the table. She didn't want to be rude, afterall. When she finally met Sango's eyes, she blushed furiously. "Not a word." she hissed.

"I would _never!_"

Kagome gave her a look and Sango simply shrugged. From there, they carried on with their meal, Sango teasing Kagome every now and then. It wasn't long before they ate their fill, paid, and left. After that, they hung out around a nearby park to finish catching up before heading their separate ways. They made plans to meet up again a couple weeks later. They parted with a hug and then Kagome was walking back to her apartment.

**[ So, when is your next day off? ]**

[ I have the weekend off. Why? ]

**[ Would you like to go out for lunch one of those days? ]**

She couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

[ I would love that ]

**-BG-**

Kouga grinned and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He let out a breath and then left his room and walked out into the communal space. There were several of his pack members in there, gathered around the TV. Others were in the kitchen, grabbing snacks or drinks.

Hakkaku came walking up to him, a knowing smile on his face. "You ready to head out boss, or do you wanna stay?" he asked.

Kouga rolled his eyes, giving his beta a playful shove. "Yeah I'm ready. Let's get going." He pushed past Hakkaku and put on his shoes. From there, he walked out of the house, Hakkaku following behind him.

There were a few pack members outside waiting. He looked them over, making sure everyone was accounted for, before gesturing for them to follow him. He hadn't been out on a patrol with them in a while. Since he had gotten hurt and met Kagome he had gotten a bit... _distracted_ to say the least.

He sucked in a breath and did his best to clear his thoughts. It wouldn't help to think about her right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand. Once they all left the compound, they split off into groups to patrol their territory. Kouga was with both Ginta and Hakkaku, as he usually was. He typically only ever patrolled with his betas, as they were always at his side and, if need be, would be able to control him. They also just meshed well together, but that was to be expected.

He itched to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. He wanted to text Kagome, ask her more about her day, see how she was doing, set up their plans for the weekend...

He slowly let out a breath through his nose. He needed to focus... Something fishy was going on, and he needed to keep his head out of the clouds in order to stay on track. There had been more skirmishes lately, and they didn't seem to be random like they had been in the past. No, these seemed planned and well thought out. He just had to figure out why. Why now? And who was in charge?

He couldn't allow anyone in his pack to be harmed. It was one thing to hurt him, but his packmates? No, he couldn't.. not again...

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

It took every ounce of his strength to not pull it out of his pocket right that second. He needed to focus... But he so desperately wanted to answer her...

Kouga let out a sigh and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Hakkaku.."

"Yes boss?"

He handed his phone out to his beta behind him. "Take this from me. I can't be distracted right now."

Ginta and Hakkaku couldn't help but snicker. "Of course boss, I'll take good care of it." he answered, taking the device and shoving it in his own pocket.

It felt odd not having his phone in his pocket, but he knew it would be best. For now at least. He could answer her later.. he was certain she would understand. He huffed and ran a hand through his bangs. He needed to _focus..._

They had been patrolling for several hours when Ginta received a text. Something was going down on the other side of their territory. Kouga was _seething._ Of course, the exact opposite of where they currently were. Sure it would be no problem getting there, but he couldn't help but feel that this was intentional. But how had they known where he was going?

He would figure that out here very shortly. They were all quick to turn around and backtrack, going to the opposite end of their territory. They ran as fast as they could, weaving their way through alleys and taking as many shortcuts as they knew. Kouga did his best to not leave his betas in the dust, but he was concerned for his pack, not to mention utterly _pissed_.

It wasn't long before they could hear the snarling and fighting. Kouga was vibrating, his claws extending and a snarl ripping out of his chest. He turned the corner and saw several of his packmates fending off youkai. The scent of blood hit his nose, and from what he could tell, it was a mix from both sides. He was quick to act, running up and kicking a youkai. They went flying across the alley, slamming into a wall and crumpling.

From there, Kouga lost himself in the fight. His beast broke through and was going on a rampage. His shift was rippling under his skin, threatening to break free, but he kept himself in check the best he could. It was difficult, but somehow he managed. It helped that his packmates were all seeming to do well for themselves, and these youkai weren't particularly difficult to handle.

Something was off about this..

It had taken a bit, but after a while, they had taken out most of the youkai. Kouga walked over to one that was crumpled up near a dumpster. He bent down and grabbed the youkai by the collar, lifting them up and snarling at them as he held them at eye level.

"Who sent you?"

The youkai coughed, some blood splattering onto Kouga's shirt. They slowly opened their eyes, looking at Kouga and let out a weak laugh. "Why would I tell you?"

Kouga slammed them into the wall, growling fiercely as his youki whipped around and lashed out at the youkai. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Choose wisely."

"Kiss my a– _AAAAAAAAAAAAA!_" The youkai screamed out in pain as Kouga dug his claws into their stomach, threatening to rip out a chunk.

"You better rethink your answer, _buddy._ I have no problem at all just letting your guts spill out." he whispered harshly. "I have plenty of others to go through."

Fear was radiating off of the youkai now and Kouga couldn't help but smirk. He watched as they contemplated, could see the wheels turning in their head. He added a little incentive. He slowly twisted his claws further into their stomach, his fingers breaking through the flesh and digging in. The youkai screamed and writhed in pain. "Clock's ticking."

"FUCK! Okay! Okay okay okay! I don't know who sent us! He didn't give us a name. He just offered us money and protection, that's all I know, I swear!"

Kouga looked the youkai over, analyzing them. Their fear was genuine, but they were hiding something. He shoved his hand further into their guts, the youkai screaming and sobbing. "This would be so much easier if you would just tell me the truth."

They coughed up more blood, choking and gasping for air. Kouga gave them a moment to collect themselves. The youkai coughed a couple more times, getting even more blood onto Kouga. "Okay... you.. you win." Their voice was raspy and tears were falling down their cheeks in thick globs. "The... The person who sent us.. our leader.. his name is–"

"Kouga, watch out!"

He whipped his head around just in time to miss a fist. However, it seemed like it wasn't fully aimed at him, as this new youkai's fist landed square onto the youkai Kouga had just been torturing, effectively knocking them out. He could hear their nose break from the force of the punch.

Kouga snarled, removing his hand from the youkai's stomach to gain some distance from the new threat. This youkai was massive, and also seemed to be a lot stronger than the others. He watched as they looked down at the other youkai crumpled up on the ground, blood oozing out of the hole in their stomach. Before it could even be given the chance to heal, the youkai stuck their fingers into the open wound and ripped it open even further. Their guts poured out onto the ground, and Kouga snarled. He had been so close to getting information!

"Hey, what's the big idea? Aren't you on the same side?"

The youkai slowly turned and looked at Kouga. They stared at him for a couple moments, not saying anything. He watched as their claws extended, and he wasn't sure what it was about them, but when the youkai started to move towards him, he felt a chill run down his spine. Something wasn't right..

They moved slowly at first, but in the blink of an eye, they were suddenly in front of Kouga, their fist coming straight for his face. He barely managed to dodge it, and he couldn't help but feel shocked and a little bit afraid. How fast were they?

Kouga growled, flashing his fangs as he jumped backwards once more. He needed to stay focused... The youkai charged at him again, but this time he was ready. Their fight was almost like a dance with the way the youkai would charge and Kouga would move out of the way. He would duck, dive, flip back, slide to the side, anything to get away from the youkai's powerful fists. He had only managed to land a couple blows, and it didn't seem to phase them one bit. It was frustrating, to say the least. But he had a feeling that this youkai was all brawn and had little to no endurance. If he could just wear them down, maybe he could get some answers out of them...

He wasn't sure how long they had been going at it, but after a while, the youkai's movements began to slow and he could see that they were getting worn out. Kouga smirked, charging at the youkai and able to land a couple more blows. It was getting easier, and he knew that the battle would be over soon. It took a bit more maneuvering and dancing around, but eventually Kouga was able to get up real close and he crouched down, swiping his leg underneath the youkai's and knocking them flat on their back. His surrounding packmates cheered as their alpha pinned down the rival youkai.

"Now.. you're going to give me some answers. Who do you work for?"

The youkai laid there, unmoving and staring blankly up at the wolf. Kouga growled, putting his claws at the youkai's throat and digging the tips in. The youkai winced slightly, but nothing else was given away.

"_Answer me._ Who. Do. You. Work. For."

At the youkai's continued silence, Kouga grew frustrated. He was about ready to rip their throat out when he heard hurried footsteps.

"Kouga! Watch out!"

He lifted his head, confused. He turned his head around, and everything seemed to shift to slow motion.

The youkai had brought their hand up, claws out and aimed directly at Kouga. Then, Ginta was at his side, pushing him out of the way as the youkai brought their claws down and dug them into Ginta's shoulder. He could hear a bone pop out of place before a loud crack rang through his ears.

Ginta screamed.

Kouga's eyes bled red.

Kouga lunged forward, a purely primal, animalistic sound ripping it's way out of his throat as he dug his claws into the youkai's neck. The youkai gasped underneath him, trying to pry Kouga's claws out of their throat. But all too quickly, he wrapped his fingers around their trachea and _pulled,_ ripping it out of their throat. But that wasn't enough. Kouga moved back slightly before plunging his other hand into the youkai's chest, crushing and breaking their ribs. He wrapped his hand around their heart, his claws digging into the muscle, squeezing it tightly and piercing it with his claws. He then ripped it out of the youkai's chest. He was half tempted to take a bite out of the organ, so it'd be the last thing the youkai saw before they died. He managed to restrain his primal urge and, instead, threw it against a nearby wall, satisfied with the splat it made.

His rage now starting to cool, he turned and focused his attention on Ginta, who had been pulled away and was surrounded by pack. Kouga got up and walked over to check and see how his beta was doing. "Let me see it." he said, his voice still rough and gravelly with lingering anger.

The wolves moved out of the way, except for Hakkaku, who was cradling Ginta in his arms. Kouga slowly reached a bloody hand out and gently pushed Ginta's hand away from his shoulder. Kouga sucked in a breath through his teeth.

The wound was deep, and there was a deep, dark purple staining his skin. He _knew_ something wasn't right.. Kouga let out a huff and moved Ginta's hand back and pressed down. "We're gonna have to go to the hospital..."

**-BG-**

Kagome grumbled as she drank her third cup of coffee. She couldn't believe she had been called into work to run a graveyard shift, and she _still_ would have to work her usual morning to dusk shift. An almost 20hr shift was definitely _not_ what she wanted, but she supposed she'd take it. She'd make good money at least... Besides, it was odd for Tsubaki to call out of a shift, so she figured it had to be for something important. Kagome would forgive it this time. Though, in all honesty, she wasn't really one to hold a grudge. She could be mad for a while, sure, but she always forgave in the end. Sometimes it caused her problems.

She shook her head, ridding the thoughts from her mind. This was the first moment of respite she had since she started the shift. She was determined to enjoy it. Kagome was currently sitting behind one of the receptionist desks, sipping coffee and relaxing. Thankfully the craziness had calmed down a bit and she was able to unwind and clear her mind. She took another sip of coffee, praying that the miracle liquid would continue to keep her functioning and awake until she was able to take a nap in a couple of hours.

She was about to reach for her phone in her pocket to see if Kouga had answered her, when the doors burst open. Her head snapped up and the receptionist behind the desk let out a gasp.

It was Kouga and Hakkaku, carrying Ginta in who looked like he was in a lot of pain. Kagome shot up from her seat and started to walk out from behind the desk. "Get more staff down here. Prepare the OR." she said as she rounded the corner of the desk. If Kouga had brought one of them here, it had to be _bad._

The girl nodded, quick to start paging doctors and nurses, and then get on the PA system, just to make sure. Kagome tuned out her call for more doctors as she approached her new patient.

Kouga couldn't help but stare at Kagome for a moment. He had seen her when she had gotten off of work all exhausted and ready to pass out. But right now she was alert, her eyes already scanning and searching, analyzing before she had even fully approached them. Her plum colored scrubs looked nice on her, and her hair was tied up in a neat bun. She looked stunning as always.

"What happened?" she asked, not looking at either Kouga or Hakkaku, her full focus on Ginta. She started to get him onto the gurney she had dragged behind her so she could look him over better. Kouga was a bit taken aback by how.. _cold_ her voice seemed. Maybe it was just him?

"Well.. there was a bit of a.. _problem._ We went to take care of it and got into a fight with some other youkai. One of them, really large, dug their claws into him."

"How long ago was this?" She was turning Ginta over then to look at his shoulder. It was still bleeding.

"Uhh.. probably about 35.. 40 minutes ago?" Hakkaku answered.

Kagome grimaced. His bleeding should've stopped by now, or at least slowed with him being a youkai and all. She ripped open a small section of Ginta's shirt to further inspect the wound and her eyes went wide. A deep, dark purple was staining the skin of his entire shoulder blade and starting to go down his arm a bit.

"What..."

"We don't know. It's been spreading though." Kouga said.

Kagome brushed her fingers over Ginta's skin. It seemed to even be overtaking the ink in the wolf's skin. This was _bad._

Thankfully, it was at that time that more staff arrived. She was quick to debrief them on what she had learned. Some of the words she was throwing out left Kouga and Hakkaku confused. They stood there, helplessly as they watched Kagome slip an IV into their friend and giving out orders. When they started to move away, Kouga panicked.

"Wait, what's going on."

Kagome huffed and motioned for them to continue on to the OR. "We're taking him into an operating room. He's going to be alright."

She turned to move again but Kouga reached out for her. "Wait, Kagome– "

"_Sir,_ I'm going to need you to stay out here. I can't talk now, I have to go help your friend." And with that, she turned on her heel and was rushing down the hall to catch up with her team.

Kouga was left there confused. Why was she acting like that? He didn't understand.. Did he do something wrong? Had he upset her?

Hakkaku placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing the alpha out of his thoughts. "It's alright. She's in work mode now. She has to remain professional." he said.

Kouga nodded. _Right.. of course..._

Hakkaku frowned a bit. Kouga still seemed to be more in tune with his beast, so it was affecting the way he viewed things. He could smell the worry and sadness all over him, and it made _him_ sad. He needed to find a way to distract Kouga while they waited for the results, and for him to become more himself.

"Let's go sit for a bit. Roka and Chiyo should have some answers for us soon."

Kouga nodded once again and let Hakkaku lead him to the waiting area. He had a feeling they were going to be here for a while...


	10. Chapter 10

Hey y'all, sorry it's been so long! Work's been stupid, Pokemon, the holidays, Pokemon, writer's block... pokemon, you understand right? No? Okay, I'll shut up now x3 Hope y'all enjoy!

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Kagome let out a soft sigh as she exited the operating room. It had taken a while, but she had finally managed to get Ginta on the road to recovery. She had to use quite a bit of reiki to heal him, as it turned out to be the only way to get rid of whatever that purple stuff was. She and her team had managed to collect a sample of it and were taking it off to run some tests. Hopefully she'd have answers soon, but for now...

She ran a hand down her face, exhaustion hitting her _hard_. She was going to need to make a new pot of coffee... She walked down the hall to the waiting area and looked for Hakkaku and Kouga. It didn't take her long to spot them, and she gave them a soft smile before waving them over. They were quick to get up and follow her. She led them into a room, one that was usually used to give... not so pleasant news.. but she knew it would be private, and privacy is what they needed right now.

She opened the door to the room and ushered the two youkai in, and once they were all inside, she closed the door and sat down in one of the chairs. Hakkaku and Kouga followed her motions wordlessly.

"Ginta is going to be alright." They let out a breath of relief at that, and Kagome couldn't help but smile warmly at them. "He's going to need to be here for a couple days. I'm going to need to monitor him and how he's doing. We also managed to collect a sample of that.. purple stuff, whatever it is. So, we'll figure out what that is soon enough. Unless you know something?" she asked, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"We're not really certain ourselves." Kouga said. "We haven't seen anything like this before, so we don't know how to approach it. How did you get rid of it?"

"Reiki. That was the only way. It took a lot out of me, too... Whatever this is.. it's bad." Her brows furrowed in concern. "You guys need to be careful. I don't know what all it is you're involved in and who with... but this looks pretty serious. If he hadn't been brought to me when he was, or at all, then Ginta would most definitely be dead. Whatever this is, it's fast acting and seems to spread quickly."

Both Kouga and Hakkaku grimaced at that. That was definitely the _last_ thing they had wanted to hear.

"So.. if something like this were to happen again, we would need to come to you?"

"Yes, or at least to the nearest hospital. There has to be at least one miko on staff at all times in every hospital. I know you guys don't like coming here, but you're going to have to if this happens again. There's only so much I can do out of my home."

They both nodded. "Thank you, Kagome." Kouga said, voice soft.

She smiled softly at him. "Of course. It's my job to help and heal." She stood up from her seat then, causing them both to look up at her. "I can take you to see him. He might still be asleep, but you all can be here overnight. Just two at a time though. If any others from the pack want to visit, you're gonna have to take turns." she said with a bit of a giggle.

Kouga stood up, Hakkaku quickly following suit. "Yes, please take us to him."

She nodded, then opened the door and started walking. She took them down a corridor to an elevator. From there, they went up to the third floor and down several more corridors. It seemed like _ages_ before she finally stopped in front of a door. She pointed out the room number to them before knocking and opening the door.

A nurse was standing inside, checking on Ginta's IV. Ginta's head turned to see who had come in and gave a weak smile.

Hakkaku immediately rushed to his bedside and the nurse couldn't help but chuckle at the enthusiasm shared between the two. He looked over at Kagome and gave her and Kouga a warm smile before exiting the room. They moved closer to the bed then and Ginta turned to look up at them. He smiled up at them, a bit weak and tired.

"Boss.. Sis.."

"How ya feelin'?" Kouga asked.

"Tired.. but no pain." He directed his gaze to Kagome then. "Thank you, sis. I owe you one."

Kagome had to resist the urge to groan. What was with them just.. handing out life debts like this? "I'm just doing my job, Ginta."

He chuckled at that. "I know, but we all know you would've done it anyway."

She rolled her eyes at him, but she knew it was true. "You guys can't just keep handing out life debts like this, though."

Kouga placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention. "It's only because it's you, Kagome."

She blushed fiercely. It wasn't fair of him to look at and speak to her so softly like that. She scoffed and brushed Kouga's hand off her shoulder. "Whatever.." she mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Anyway.. I should probably get back to it and check on my other patients. I'll be back in to check on you guys later." She chewed on her cheek as she glanced over all of them, a seriousness settling in her gaze. "Be careful, okay?"

They could only nod in response.

She nodded as well and took another moment to look them over once again, her eyes lingering on each one of them in silent worry, before she turned and exited the room.

Kouga frowned, wishing she could stick around a bit longer. But, he knew that she was on the job, and Ginta wasn't her only patient. Besides, it was now more important than ever for him to gather information so they could protect themselves and exact revenge. He wasn't going to take this attack lightly. This _had_ to have been planned, and he needed to find the puppet master.

He moved closer to Ginta's bedside, and his beta smiled weakly and softly up at him. Kouga returned the smile with one of his own, though he couldn't hide the pain and guilt from his eyes. He pressed his forehead to the top of Ginta's head, closing his eyes as he did so. One of his hands came up and cradled the back of the beta's head. It was an intimate position, one he didn't do often, but he figured after all that Ginta had done for him, it was well needed and well deserved. "We'll get them back for what they did to you, I promise."

Kouga held the position for another couple beats before pulling away and ruffling Ginta's short hair. He flashed both his betas a toothy grin, hoping to ease any lingering worries they had. "Rest up as much as you need, and don't give Kagome any trouble. I'll be back later with information." And with that, Kouga turned on his heel and left the room.

**-BG-**

The basement was dark and damp, and had an unsettling chill that had a way of just seeping into your bones. Kouga couldn't help but feel a slight thrill as he descended into it, having long associated these feelings with gaining something, whether it was information or a lead... He always found great success in the buried depths of the compound. He hoped today would be no different.

His wolf was pacing and howling with bloodlust, another small side effect of coming down here. It was one he could live with, of course. Once he reached the bottom of the steps, he reached for the light on the wall nearby.

The familiar hum and harsh brightness of fluorescents filled the room and only further fueled the alpha's excitement. A huge grin spread across his face as he cracked his neck and then his knuckles. He walked further into the room, the sounds of his boots hitting the concrete bounced and echoed off the walls. He rolled his shoulders, as he approached the cell he was looking for.

The aura around the caged youkai wasn't that strong, but it was stronger than the others they had faced off against last night, aside from the one that had nearly taken him and Ginta out. He had to fight back a snarl at the memory. His wolf craved more blood.

He stopped in front of the door and peered at the youkai through the bars. Her hair was long and straight, blonde in color. Her skin was pale, but littered with freckles and a couple of cuts and bruises, likely from the fight last night. She was huddled in the far corner of her cell, bright, pale green eyes glaring up at him. But she couldn't hide her fear, not from her eyes, and especially not from her scent. He smirked wickedly at her.

Kouga pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the cell door. He then slowly opened it, the slow, horrible screeching of the door only adding to the atmosphere. He then pulled it closed quickly and locked the door behind him before slipping the key back into his pocket.

"I believe you have some answers for me, don't you?" he asked, slowly starting to move towards her.

She bristled, her tail whipping about in anger and fear and she hissed at him.

He had to resist an eyeroll. _Cats..._

Kouga continued to stalk closer to her, and the closer he drew, the more she huddled into her corner and the louder her hissing and growling grew. He stopped just out of swiping range, his grin never faltering.

"Now.. I just have a simple question for you. It's an easy one, I promise." He paused, giving her a moment to calm down, at least somewhat. "Who sent you and your group last night?" he asked.

She pressed her lips into a tight, thin line, eyes shifting away from his and down towards the floor. His nose twitched at the unmistakable smell of fear: rotting flesh. It burned his nose, but he managed to resist the urge to scratch at it. He gave her another moment, and when she showed no sign of answering, he let out a sigh.

He ran a hand down his face before crouching down, getting down on her level. Her eyes darted back up to his, cautious of what he might do next. _As she should be._

"We can do this one of two ways. Either you can tell me on your own, or I can force it out of you. The choice is yours."

He waited patiently as she looked him over, her eyes roaming quick. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, considering.

Then she lunged at him, claws extended and growling. Kouga was quick to block her attack, grabbing her easily by the wrist and then quickly pinned her to the ground. One hand held both of her wrists behind her back while the other held her by the back of the head, pressing her face into the concrete. He shifted his body above hers, making it so he could dig his knee into her back to keep the cat youkai pinned.

His skin buzzed with excitement as his wolf urged him to do a show of force. He'd give her one more chance.

He chuckled darkly above her. "You should've learned by now that fighting won't get you anywhere."

She hissed up at him, her eyes piercing into his. "Go to hell." she snarled, her voice raspy.

"Ohhh, so you _can_ speak, huh?" He dug her face further into the concrete, watching as her face scrunched up in pain. "That means you can answer my questions. Now, let's try this again.." His grip on her wrists tightened, threatening to snap, and he could see the tears welling in her eyes. "Who sent you?" he asked, a menacing snarl in his voice.

She sucked in a breath through her teeth, eyes screwed shut. More fear filled her scent and her youki lashed out against him. Kouga growled and crushed her further into the concrete, nails digging into the skin at her scalp and drawing some blood. The youkai cried out in pain below him.

"I suggest you answer before you lose your head."

The tears spilled out of her eyes, and she opened them to look up at him, pleading with him. He paid it no mind. He simply started to dig his nails into her wrists as well to serve as an incentive.

"_AH!_ I.. I don't _know!_ Only... Only Hiro knew and h-he's dead! We were to just follow his lead!"

Kouga stewed on this for a moment, looking her over and searching her scent.

He bared his fangs at her and moved his hand from her head to her neck, closing his hand around it. She sobbed.

"Tell me the truth!" The tips of his claws dug into the soft, sensitive flesh of her neck and her fear only spiked. Her youki began to flare, but it was nothing compared to Kouga's. He began to smother her aura with his own and more tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I.. I don't know his name! I just know his presence, a-and his voice! I've never seen him myself.. Just heard our leader talking to him over the phone! His voice is deep, cloyingly sweet.. smooth like honey. He whispers sweet things, but they have no meaning. He offers money and protection, but.. but I don't think we would have actually received any. He sent us there to die, I just know it!" she sobbed.

Kouga digested this information for a moment. There was no hint of lies in her scent anymore. She was telling him the truth. But there was just one last thing he needed to know...

He dug his nails further into her neck and she cried out in pain. "What do you know about the poison he used on us last night?"

"P-Poison?"

"Yes. It turned my packmate's skin purple."

Her skin paled, and the only scent he could smell now was her fear. It filled the entirety of the basement. It was so strong it stung his eyes and caused tears to well up.

"I don't know.. but it's bad. It kills... no cure..." she sobbed, thick globs of tears rolling down her cheeks. Kouga frowned, unable to help himself from sympathizing with her, at least somewhat.

And now.. he had no use for her. He knew that if he were to let her go, then whoever her boss was would have her killed, just like he assumed had happened to Hiro, the one he had almost gotten answers out of last night. But he couldn't keep her here. He didn't know what kind of powers their boss had. They might have a way of tracking her, or possessing her... weirder things had happened, and he knew he couldn't take any chances. He looked down at her, and she was already looking up at him, pleading.

Kouga held back his sigh. "Thank you for your cooperation. I assume you know what must come next, then?"

"Please... just do it."

He would at least make it quick and painless for her...

**-BG-**

Kagome spent a couple moments checking Ginta's vitals, making sure everything was good. She smiled as she put her things away and had her stethoscope settled around her neck once again. "Well, looks like you're all good to go! Though I fully expect you to stop by my place in a couple days to make sure you're still doing alright." she said.

Ginta chuckled a bit. "Yeah, of course, Sis."

She nodded. It was still weird to her hearing them call her 'sis'... she would have to ask Kouga about it later. "Good." Her brows furrowed for a moment. "It's just really concerning that it took you a full week to heal.. That stuff really did a number on your system.." she commented.

"So you still haven't figured anything out about it?" Kouga asked. He had been leaning against the wall nearby, arms crossed over his chest.

"Unfortunately... This is something completely new to us, so a lot of our results have been inconclusive.."

"Is it some type of poison?"

"Can't say.. If it was, we'd be able to make some kind of antiserum from it fairly easily, considering we can do that with venom and other things quite easily nowadays. But this... I just don't know... It's... _different_ somehow, but it has some of the same properties as a poison." Kagome let out a sigh and waved a hand in front of her face before standing up from her chair. "Whatever it is, it's unique and one of a kind... So it's going to take a while for us to crack the code. Please be patient.. and be careful, okay?"

Kouga frowned, not liking how uneasy and fearful she looked. He pushed himself off the wall and moved to stand in front of her. "We'll be as safe as we can. Now that we know there's something like this out there in play, we'll definitely be more cautious from here on out." He brought a hand up to cup her cheek tenderly. "I promise.." His voice rumbled with his promise, reverberating in his chest, and it made her knees weak. He leaned in and they kissed briefly.

When they broke away from each other, she remembered where they were and looked away, her cheeks_ burning._ She had completely forgotten that Ginta was in the room, how embarrassing!

Kouga simply chuckled. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We'll see you later." His hand lingered on her hip, rubbing a small, teasing circle there for a moment before pulling away. Kagome's cheeks darkened and she shot a glare at Kouga, though there was no anger in it. He just laughed once again and set about helping Ginta. Kagome shook her head, rolling her eyes and heading out of the room.

As soon as Kagome was out of the room, Ginta looked up at Kouga with a smirk on his face. "She'll make a great alpha."

Kouga blushed for a moment before rolling his eyes and letting out a growl. "Don't make me have you spend another week in here."

Ginta simply laughed, knowing that Kouga didn't actually mean it. Of course, he didn't _doubt_ the threat and wouldn't push his luck, but he knew it would take more than that for Kouga to hurt him. But it _was_ nice to see his ever so stern Alpha being such a lovesick pup. And he could tell that Kagome really cared for him. He was happy for them.

It took them a moment to get all signed out of the hospital, but once they stepped outside, Hakkaku was there, waiting with a car. He beamed at them and was quick to open the doors for them, which they thanked him for. Ginta rode shotgun, and Kouga was content sitting in the back.

Hakkaku filled Ginta in on the happenings within the pack he had missed so he'd be able to step right in once again and help out more effectively. "And now that you're back, Kouga can tell all of us about what he got out of the youkai we had captured." Hakkaku mentioned as he pulled into his parking space.

Ginta looked back at Kouga, looking to see if it was bad or good news, so he could be prepared. But like always, his alpha's expression gave nothing away. They got out of the car quietly, but it didn't stay quiet for long. Soon, the pack descended on them, welcoming Ginta home with tears in their eyes and plenty of hugs and cheek and forehead kisses. The entire pack was buzzing with excitement to have their companion back home, safe and sound. Ginta couldn't help but tear up a bit at the outpouring of love.

Once everyone calmed down, which took quite a while, they all filed into one of the houses and took their seats. Kouga stood with his arms crossed as he waited for everyone to settle. Once they were all ready, he began to speak.

"As you all know, we managed to capture one of the youkai that attacked us last week. I wasn't able to get much out of her, as she had her group seem to be low in the ranks, but I did get _something._" He began to pace slowly, back and forth. "It seems that their boss doesn't like many to know his identity. Most just know his voice and presence, they don't even seem to know what he looks like except for a select chosen. According to the cat, his voice is deep, but had a sweetness to it. He also offers things, but this is likely to get them to do as he pleases. She felt that what he was sending them out for was a suicide mission, and that proved true, especially when that other youkai stepped in."

He took a moment to let this information sink in. He could see a couple of his pack mates writing down notes, Hakkaku being one of them. "As for the poison, she said there's no cure. The only way we've found to counteract it so far, is by having a miko use her reiki. But from what Kagome told me, it takes a lot out of her, and uses a lot of energy to get rid of it. Whatever this is, it isn't to be taken lightly. We'll need to be careful from here on out until we hear the test results from Kagome. So.. be cautious from here on out. If you get attacked with this stuff, head to a hospital _immediately._ Understood?"

"Yes, Alpha!" they all repeated back.

He nodded once, and with that, they were all dismissed. Most of them lingered back to talk with Ginta, make sure he was doing okay and asking him questions about the poison. Kouga watched for a moment before walking over and growled a warning. They all shrunk back and then quickly left the immediate area. Ginta turned to look up at him, grateful.

"Go get rest. You deserve it."

"Thanks Kouga.."

They smiled at each other for a moment and Kouga pulled him in for a quick hug. Once he pulled away, he gave the beta a pat on the shoulder and a wide grin. Ginta returned the smile with one of his own, then headed for bed. He would rest while he could.. he had a feeling things were only going to get more difficult from here on out.


End file.
